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D committee agenda
Meeting
Democratic Procedures Committee
Date
4 December 2018
Time
5pm – 7pm
Location
Bookable Room 1, Union House
Author
Xenia Levantis, Campaigns & Democracy Coordinator
________________________________________________________________________
DPC 01 Update from the Chair
To note
The Chair will give a verbal update
5 mins
DPC 02 Minutes
To approve (Page 3 – 7)
The Committee is asked to approve the minutes as an accurate record of
the previous meeting.
10 mins
DPC 03 Matters Arising
To consider (Page 8 – 11)
The Committee is asked to consider the action log and give updates on
the status of the actions.
10 mins
2
DPC 04 Review of Union Council Thu 29 Nov 18
To discuss
The committee is invited to give feedback on the Union Council meeting
on 29 Nov 18.
15 mins
DPC 05 Policy Precedent
To discuss
The Committee is asked to consider the process and meaning of making
something policy precedent.
10 mins
DPC 06 Report from Chair of DPC 2017-18
To note (page 12 - 23)
The Committee is asked to consider the recommendations from Societies
Executive and approve their addition to the agenda for Union Council on
Thu 29 Nov 18.
30 mins
DPC 07 Schedule for meetings
To note (page 24)
The Committee is asked to note the schedule for meetings for Term 2.
5 mins
DPC 08 Any other business
To discuss
10 mins
DPC 09 Time, Date & Place of next meeting
5pm – 7pm, Monday 14 January 2019, Bookable Room 5, Union House
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D committee minutes
Meeting
Democratic Procedures Committee
Date
20 November 2018
Time
5pm – 7pm
Location
Bookable Room 2, Union House
Author
Xenia Levantis, Campaigns & Democracy Coordinator
Present Lewis Martin Mature Students’ Assembly present until 6:10pm
Sophie Atherton Campaigns & Democracy Officer
Elliot Folan Chair of Union Council
Dan Box Deputy Chair of Union Council
Omari Edwards Philosophy Society
Thai Braddick Non-Portfolio Officer present from 6:10pm
Apologies Maddie Bransfield Nursing Society
Staff Support Xenia Levantis Campaigns & Democracy Coordinator
Josh Clare Head of Campaigns & Policy
________________________________________________________________________
DPC 01 Update from the Chair
1.1 The Chair thanked members for attending the rescheduled meeting.
1.2 The Chair enquired if the elections for new members had been declared. Staff
confirmed they had not heard back from the returning officer.
1.3 The Chair went on to give a brief verbal update to the committee.
4
DPC 02 Minutes
2.1 The Committee unanimously approved the minutes as an accurate record of the
previous meeting.
DPC 03 Matters Arising
3.1 The Committee was asked to consider the action log and give updates on the status of
the actions. There was no updates to give and the Chair asked that all incomplete
actions rollover to the next meeting.
DPC 04 Review of Union Council Thu 15 Nov 18
4.1 The Deputy Chair took over Chairing this section of the meeting and the Committee
was invited to give feedback on the Union Council meeting on 15 Nov 18.
4.2 The Chair thanked the Deputy Chair and DPC for managing the meeting. They went on
to say that the comments made were unpleasant and quite distressing, in particular
the comments about lying and acting in malice. The conduct in general from some
councillors was not acceptable. Some items were personal.
4.3 The Deputy Chair observed that only two meetings prior to this one, the Code of
Conduct had been highlighted to Union Council. They stated that they thought that the
conduct exhibited at Union Council had been unacceptable and that the debate became
inaccessible.
4.4 The Chair of Union Council stated that it was difficult to manage, especially as those
making the meeting difficult were senior members of the SU. The Chair of Union
Council also noted that these individuals were warned about their conduct and
persisted despite the warning. The Chair of Union Council felt that it was implied that
their chairing was bias.
4.5 The Committee discussed the observation of the Staff Protocol and agreed that it was
not being suitable observed. The Campaigns and Democracy Officer stated that they
are constantly reminding others of the Staff Protocol and requested other DPC
members remind their peers of the importance of the policy.
4.6 It was agreed that the Chair of Union Council will issue a reminder of the Code of
Conduct for Union Meetings at the next meeting.
4.7 The Committee agreed that the meeting was Chaired incredibly well. The Chair and
Deputy Chair of Council agreed that the meeting was unpleasant and not civil and that
individual councillors were rude. They went on to state that Councillors were in their
right to do this, however it is often not done. It is for Council to make these
judgements and it cannot be policed. The Chair of Council affirmed their commitment
to remain professional in all matters.
4.8 The Committee that there was great improvement on the accountability during the
reports sections. The Chair of Union Council will continue to state that Councillors can
ask officers any question they wish within the Code of Conduct.
5
4.9 The Committee discussed not running an Open Discussion at the next Council to allow
more time for the Policy Making section. The committee unanimously voted to make
recommendation to SOC to forgo the Open Discussion section at the next meeting.
AP 1 Reminder about Code of Conduct at the start of the next meeting. Form a notice
another Union Council agenda.
Union Council Chair and Staff Support
AP 2 Points of Order and Procedural Motions booklet to be circulated to Union Councillors
with the agenda.
Staff Support
AP 3 Make recommendation to SOC that the Open Discussion topic be removed from the
next meeting to allow more time for Policy Making
Campaigns and Democracy Officer
DPC 05 Motions submitted for Union Council on Thu 29 Nov 18
5.1 The Deputy Chair passed chairing to the Chair and the Committee was asked to
consider the motions submitted and approve their addition to the agenda for Union
Council on Thu 29 Nov 18.
Oppose the Roll-out of Universal Credit
5.2 The Committee comment that this was a good motion and that they welcomed the
summary. The Committee unanimously agreed to add the motion to the agenda.
AP 4 Email all Union Councillors the updated motion template, to include summaries to
encourage Union Councillors to include them in their motions.
Staff Support
Subcommittees That Work (An Amendment to the Bye Laws)
5.4 The Committee unanimously agreed to add the motion to the agenda.
Tidying up UEA SU’s Bye Laws (An Amendment to the Bye Laws)
5.5 The Committee commented how this motion was incredibly technical however laid out
the proposed Bye-Laws amendments in a very helpful way.
5.6 It was agreed that the motion would be taken in the following three parts:
1. Tidying up UEA SU’s Bye Laws (An Amendment to the Bye Laws) Grammatical
and technical Changes yes or no 2 thirds majority
2. Tidying up UEA SU’s Bye Laws (An Amendment to the Bye Laws) Political
Changes yes or no 2 thirds majority
3. Tidying up UEA SU’s Bye Laws (An Amendment to the Bye Laws) NUS Delegate
present option a then option b if option a falls
5.7 The Committee unanimously agreed to add the motion to the agenda.
Transform International Student Assembly into a Sub-committee
6
5.8 The Chair of Union Council confirmed that the motion required some amendment to be
accepted onto the agenda. However this motion would be excepted once the
amendments are made.
AP 5 It was agreed that an email would be sent to the proposer and seconder to explain why
the motion cannot be accepted as is.
1. Needs to be titled an amendment to Article 67.2.1
2. Specify that is an amendment to the Bye-Laws and Articles of Association in the
title.
3. Specify the text to be removed and added.
Staff Support
Thai Braddick Non-Portfolio Officer joined the meeting and Lewis Martin, Chair, left the
meeting. The Deputy Chair took over chairing the meeting.
Developing Teaching Skills Program
5.9 The Committee unanimously agreed to add the motion to the agenda.
Make Societies Great Again (An Amendment to the Bye Laws)
5.10 Motion was accepted subject to the following two amendments:
1. Complete Union Resolves 3 Introduce the …
2. Expand Union Resolve 5 to clarify what “process of debates” means.
AP 6 It was agreed that an email would be sent to the proposer and seconder to explain why
the motion cannot be accepted as is.
1. Union Resolves 3 appears to be incomplete.
2. Union Resolve 5 requires further clarity.
Staff Support
DPC 06 Student Groups approval
6.1 The Committee was asked to consider the recommendations from Societies Executive.
The Committee unanimously approved the recommendations addition to the agenda
with the Society Objectives.
DPC 07 Policy Lapse
7.1 The Committee considered the policies lapse document for the next meeting of Union
Council as prepared by Sophie Atherton, Campaigns & Democracy Officer.
7.2 The Chair of Union Council highlighted that the proposal would put policy lapse back in
the hands of Union Councillors. The Committee discussed how to managed the
different blocks of recommendations, agreeing, where possible to take policy decisions
individually.
7.3 The Committee agreed that the Officer’s recommendations would be presented and in
each instance Union Councillors would have the opportunity to raise objections and
7
debate policies for re-adoptions.
7.4 It was agreed that the Chair of Union Council will go through the policies marked green
first and offer opportunity for debate then all not objected to would be voted on in a
block. Then the blue block would be considered, followed by red and yellow.
AP 7 The Policy Lapse discussion to be put before the motions in the agenda.
Staff Support
DPC 08 Report from Chair of DPC 2017-18
AP 8 The Deputy Chair deferred this item to the next meeting and concluded the meeting.
DPC 09 Time, Date & Place of next meeting
5pm – 7pm, Monday 3 December 2018, Bookable Room 5, Union House
8
action log
To consider
The Committee is asked to consider the action log and give updates on the status of the actions.
Meeting Action Point Actioned to Update Date
complete
22/10/2018
AP 2
Investigate potential for an amendment to the Bye-Laws, to allow co-chairing of
Union Council.
All
Committee members
AP 15
Investigate the possibility of the SU creating a Code of Conduct video.
05/11/2018
AP
1
Ask Chair of SOC to add an explainer to their next report.
Chair & Chair of
Union
Council
AP
2
DPC should encourage Union
Councillors to have access to a full agenda in all meetings.
Committee
members
AP
6
Agenda item for the next meeting: to
discuss the role of DPC as investigators.
Chair of DPC
On the agenda for the meeting on 20 Nov 18.
AP
9
Add the report to the following
meeting.
On the agenda for the meeting on 20 Nov 18.
19/11/2018
AP 1
Ask Chair of SOC to include information
about accountability and asking questions to their next report to
Council during the next meeting.
Chair &
Chair of Union
Council
AP
2
DPC should encourage Union Councillors to have access to a full
agenda in all meetings.
Committee
members
9
AP 3
DPC to encourage Union Councillors to included summaries at the beginning of
their motions and that a summary section should be added to the motion
template.
Staff Support
AP 4
Objectives to be included in the Union Council agenda along with the societies
executive recommendations.
Staff Support
AP
5
Labelling of the Union Council reports section to be updated by the Chair of
Union Council. The committee actioned
this to aid Councillors understanding of the numerous reports and questions
that can be raised in this section.
Staff Support and
Chair
AP
6
An item to be added to the agenda of
the next meeting to discuss the role of
DPC as investigators.
AP 7
The proposer of the motion to be
emailed with the committee’s decision
and the reasons for this. As well as explaining the opportunity for them to
amend the motion and return before Tuesday. Chair of Union Council has
made this recommendation. If they
wish to amend their motion to make it in order must be done by the standard
date.
Staff
Support on behalf of the
Committee
AP
8
The reported to be added to the
agenda of the next meeting. Staff
Support
AP
9
An item to be added to the agenda
under appointments for the unfilled
Union Council rep positions, with an invite for nomination to be circulated
with the Union Council documents.
Nominations will also be taken in the room. The election will run from mid-
day Friday midday to Monday midday.
Staff
Support
10
22/11/18
AP
1
Reminder about Code of Conduct at the
start of the next meeting. Form a
notice another Union Council agenda.
Union Council
Chair and Staff
Support
AP 2
Points of Order and Procedural Motions
booklet to be circulated to Union
Councillors with the agenda.
Staff Support
AP
3
Make recommendation to SOC that the
Open Discussion topic be removed from
the next meeting to allow more time
for Policy Making.
Campaigns and
Democracy
Officer
AP
4
Email all Union Councillors the updated
motion template, to include summaries
to encourage Union Councillors to
include them in their motions.
Staff
Support
AP
5
It was agreed that an email would be
sent to the proposer and seconder to
explain why the motion cannot be
accepted as is.
1. Needs to be titled an
amendment to Article 67.2.1
2. Specify that is an amendment to
the Bye-Laws and Articles of
Association in the title.
3. Specify the text to be removed
and added.
Staff
Support
11
AP 6
It was agreed that an email would be
sent to the proposer and seconder to
explain why the motion cannot be
accepted as is.
1. Union Resolves 3 appears to be
incomplete.
2. Union Resolve 5 requires further
clarity.
Staff Support
AP
7
The Policy Lapse discussion to be put
before the motions in the agenda.
Staff
Support
AP 8
The Deputy Chair deferred this item to the next meeting and concluded the
meeting
Staff Support
12
Report from DPC
Chair 2017-18
To note
The Committee is asked to note the report written by the Chair of DPC on 2017-18 SU democracy
DPC Chair’s Report 2018
Introduction
Welcome to the Democratic Procedures Committee (DPC) Report for 2017/18. This report is based on
the Committee’s work over the year and our experiences in Union Council. It is designed to inform,
enthuse and suggest new ways of engaging with and improving the democratic processes
for students in the Students Union (SU) here at UEA.
What is the DPC?
The DPC is a sub-Committee of Union Council (Council), the principal Democratic body for the
SU, whose membership is made up 8 Students Union Council Reps, voted in at the first Council
meeting of the year, in October. The Committee elects it’s own chair at the first meeting and has
additional members that comprise the Campaigns and Democracy Officer, the Chair and Deputy Chair
of Council and has SU Staff support in the form of the Democracy Coordinator, who for this year was
Tony Moore.
What does the DPC do?
The DPC meets after every session of Council where possible to discuss the issues raised at the
last meeting, to discuss upcoming policy and to consider possible options for improvements to the
running of future meetings. We are an open forum and have heard from Accommodation
Reps, the COO of the Union, the PG Education Officer and other members of the wider Student Union
movement over the course of the year, all bringing specific questions and ideas for discussion.
Successes and otherwise this year
It was a very positive year for the DPC, we had very good attendance at the meetings and the quality
of debate was always high. However we did not achieve two main goals as set out at the beginning of
the year: firstly to write some key policy on changing the way the Union Council elects and runs the
Chair of Union Council, and secondly on improving the scrutiny of policy presented to Union Council.
The proposal for changes to the way Council elects its Chair and Deputy Chair is longstanding and this
year in discussion it was agreed that a form of Co-Chairs should proposed to Council allowing for wider
opportunities and a diversification of student leadership. We agreed that electing a Chair at the end of
the year for the following year would have a very beneficial effect on the running of the first Union
Council of the Year and that one of the two new Co-Chair positions should be from one or more
protected groups. However we did not complete the drafting of this policy, however the progress
should not be lost on this important area, please see Appendix I of this report to find the proposed
policy which could be brought to council in 2018/19 or adapted following further discussion at next
year’s Council and DPC meetings.
13
There was an attempt to increase scrutiny for proposed policy in 2017/18 and this was intended to
come from the DPC but we encountered two major issues in trying to operate a new system:
time constraints on DPC members and fears of undue bias and influence on policy/Councillors. Time
pressure was the main problem, given the DPC meets in addition to Council which itself is an addition
to the normal workload and life balance of a student at UEA. Even with the additional few days brought
about through a DPC proposed change in 2016/17, scrutinising all policy proposed in just over a week,
writing suggestions and communicating these to Councillors was very difficult to achieve as a
Committee. In addition to this the DPC as a whole found it difficult to agree how this advice should be
given, as the DPC were only intending to suggest changes, and offer guidance, not operate as
arbiters of good policy. It was felt that further work would have to be done into how this guidance
could be effectively disseminated without undue influence on the policy of the committee. However it
remains a goal that is worth trying to achieve in order to improve the quality of policy debated and
passed at Council for the SU as a whole.
Democracy Day
Democracy Day was held on the July 2018 and was the best attended and most engaged Democracy
Day held to date. This is a meeting organised every year by the DPC to both debate and celebrate
Democracy in the SU. This year we held debates on possible Democratic Structures the SU could
adopt, the Leadership Review, and …
It was held in Earlham Hall and was a great success. Possible items to include next year would be a
discussion of the effectiveness of SU Coms in getting out the work of Union Council, and widening
engagement. In a post Leadership Review environment.
2017/18 A round up of Union Council and the work of the DPC
Issues raised in DPC
Space for the DPC during meetings of Union Council
This was raised as a linked concern with the role of staff in Union Council, an area discussed later in
this report. It can be considered separately, but when combined adds could be seen as a way of re-
orienting the position of students in Council. The proposal is to have a rolling group of DPC members at
the front of council, on stage at each session, to act in the place of staff support (in the first instance at
least, whilst absolutely appreciating that staff have a wealth of indispensable knowledge). This would
allow for the Chair (or Co-Chairs) to be able to consult with experienced students about difficult issues
as they arise, rather than staff. This means the conversation would stay amongst students and would
lead to an enhancement of the perception of regular councillors as a source of knowledge. There are
considerations that need to be taken before any move, whether these DPC members should be able to
vote on issues they are advising on, the danger of bias and the importance of impartiality for those
members that are offering advice. There are examples of other bodies that use the same system, such
as the NUS National Conference, but this seems like a positive progression for Union Council.
DPC budget to train and inform Union Councillors and to support SU Democracy
14
The DPC doesn’t have budget at the moment, though it of course can access the Campaigns
budget and others. It would make sense to try and carve out a specific budget for the Committee
however for the following reasons: having a budget removes blocks that can enter the process for
moving issues like training and communication forward. It allows for the voting of spending within the
committee and the spending of these funds on a far more efficient basis. It shores up the
independence of the Committee, as it would mean it would not have to request funds from an Officer.
It would encourage involvement from and scrutiny by Union Council as a whole. This issue would need
a vote in Union Council, but links to the discussion on raised in this report on Union Budgets and their
debate within Union Council. This would be a good example where councillors could request the
inclusion of a separate budget for the DPC, and would encourage debate on the budget by councillors.
A key element that is also missing from this would be a dedicated student staff member to help
support all of the suggestions that the DPC has and will produce. It is top easy for the work of the DPC
to be focussed on debate and not on implementation, all of the Councillors that take part are students
with busy academic, work and private lives. There needs to be support in order to take on these ideas,
write them up, and bring them forward. The Permanent staff support for the DPC is there for the
general year on year functioning of the SU so can;’t necessarily take on this additional, and. Growing,
workload. So the capacity to have more student staff support would be crucial to making more
headway in the future.
Information packs for councillors – with detailed notes on how Council functions such
as how policy is Debated, Procedural Motions are raised and points of order made.
This issue came very close to getting through this year, and hopefully there will be something in place
for the beginning of the 2018/19 Academic Year, which would include information on: the process of
debate at Council, the bye-laws that underpin Union Council, procedural motions and
other mechanisms Councillors can use to intervene on debate, and more.
Information on the Democratic bodies of the Union on uea.su
The website has been a recurring source of debate for the DPC this year, with a deep felt belief that it
is not fit for purpose when it comes to SU Democracy. Democratic information is buried too deep, is
too poorly maintained and does not garner the attention that it should give the SU is ‘run by students’.
This can changed by a thorough audit of content and resources required for the Democratic running of
the Union, crucially involving students, councillors and the DPC throughout in an accountable way,
rather than leaving this process up to communications. The reason to stipulate this last point is that
ownership is not something that is operated regularly by engaged students, not a by word for
advertisements. The Comms team within the Union do a fantastic job with a diverse organisation, but
too often Democracy is seen a something that needs to be mentioned and categorised rather than
engaged with when creating things like the uea.su website.
Use of Microsoft Teams
This successfully started with the DPC but requires further training and uptake to become a powerful
tool that could be used by Union Councillors in general.
15
Live streaming Union Council
The live streaming of council is something that should take far higher precedence than it currently
does, with the ideal being the live streaming featuring on the home page of uea.su. Students need to
be able to see Council work to understand it, and those who cannot attend need to be able connect
with events without jumping through too many hoops. There are security caveats nad other
considerations but the recording of Council should be the norm, for both current and future generations
of Councillors to reflect and build upon.
Promotion of Union Council in the Hive
Some form of stand or message board, whether a live screen or otherwise was suggested to again
place a focus on the work of the Council, giving permanent updates on what is being proposed,
debated and enacted. A break down of policy, and proposer so that normal students can get in touch
about an issue would be the ideal scenario so that students can be aware of policy as it goes through,
to increase debate and engagement. A permanent suggestion board would be great as well, linking
with the online system that was trialled a few years ago designed to create student let policy.
Communicating the actions and debates of Union Council with the wider student body
Many of the above points point toward this, whether that’s increased presence and profile on the
website, a permanent stand in the Hive or training for councillors to enable them to communicate
easily with the students they represent. It all leads towards a picture of Student Representation and
Democracy taking up a public profile that reflects it’s organisational role. Students can and should
shape the SU it’s a matter of supporting this process for all students, and rewarding those efforts on an
ongoing basis.
Further options for exploration and Debate
• Scrutiny of policy – how best to work with councillors to create high quality policy, with
maximum impact and positive engagement with he wider student body.
• Improving the debate – how to have a meaningful dialogue in a room with 100 Councillors, both
informed and non-confrontational.
Cycle of business and time commitments of being a rep on Council
The Cycle of business at the Union is very easy to miss, especially when you are an undergraduate or
indeed if you are coming to UEA just for a year as a Masters student. Union Council is about more than
just the first exciting debates of the year, more than just the busy and hectic first few meetings, but is
also very much about the end of year reports, by outgoing Officers, it is about the Financial Estimates
approved in the last Council of the year, it is about looking back at what was achieved in years gone by
and realising what more breeds to be done to drive things through. In short it is about continuity, and
this is where presenting the cycle of business of Union Council should take primary focus at the
beginning of each year, to recognise the diversity of functions that it serves with the SU as a whole.
16
Use of technology to enhance engagement with Union Democracy and Union Council
It is essential that more done to engage the student body with the work and spirit of the Union.
Suggestions that have come through DPC both during this academic year and past years involve the
greater use of the website and at technologies to talk directly to the Student body. This year saw a
new low in the number of people putting themselves forward top be both full time and part time
officers. This is a major problem for the democracy of the Union going forward and more needs to be
done to bring the student body into the student union movement. Videos of Council and from
Councillors about policy would be a great way to start. SO would greater accessibility and visibility on
the website for the democratically elected reps from all the different bodies that make up the structure
of the Union. This is very doable and Tony 2Moore showed us at DPC how other Universities have been
able to achieve this.
Training and support of councillors
In much of the discussion so far in this report I have suggested many ways that things could be
improved, worked on and changed within Union Council. But to any new Councillors reading this, or
any member of the student body in general at UEA you may think this unachievable, and
overwhelming. If you have been a Councillor before you may think that what I am suggesting is not
realistic that those with influence will always hold sway over the debate. I can quite understand these
perspectives, having been at UEA for a number of years and have in experienced both feelings as both
a new Councillor and a returning one. What changed for me was knowledge, experience and joining
together with my fellow students to learn and grow as a councillor, but I would be the first to admit
that this process is time consuming and by no means fool proof. There are many councillors who leave
Union Council with a bad taste in their mouths, unhappy with what they have seen and disenchanted
with the SU as a whole. Key to changing his is training and support of Union Councillors, not just when
they first sign up but throughout their time on Council and at UEA. It is essential that Councillors:
• Know how Union Council works, the minutiae and the big picture
• Know who is who and how to get involved in debate and discussion
• Know how to write policy and how to suggest changes to policy that has been coming up for
debate at the next council
• Be able to see all past policy and what is in place currently that guides the actions of the SU
• Have a forum outside of Union Council to discuss policy and procedures with both fellow
councillors and the wider student boy to inform and engage
• Be supported when confronted with difficult and challenging debate and have a clear line
of communication when they feel harassed or bullied
• Share best practice with other students from different backgrounds, courses and perspectives
Training is often something that is thought about just at the beginning of the year, but it is essential
that Councillors can develop and take on new roles, growing in confidence so that they can take on
17
new roles within in the Union if they choose or encourage their peers to take part if they find work or
life commitments need to be prioritised.
Role of staff on council
The role of Union Staff at meetings of Union Council has returned to the agenda this year and it is
worth discussing how and why this is such an important issue when Council meets. As the democratic
body of the SU Union Council is designed to be the place where all actions of the Union
whether Commercial, Charity based or student led are examined and given scrutiny. The issue with
members of staff having unfettered access to the body, speaking freely and influencing the chair is one
that cuts to the core of that Democratic process. No matter how well-meaning Union Staff are they
hold positions of power that Union Councillors will never be able to ignore. The more senior the
member of staff the more influence this has on the actions of the unpaid and voluntary councillors. This
can affect the decisions at council and the environment. During the year debate was influenced on
several occasions by the vocal comments of Staff members, cutting off debate amongst the student
body and influencing outcomes. It is perfectly valid to mention that staff often have more experience
and their input is essential to the smooth functioning of Union Council. However without the operation
of the check and balances at Union Council – the need for Council to vote on whether a staff member
can speak, the operation of guidance from the experienced councillors including the DPC as to the
merits of a staff members suggestions – staff can whether intentionally or not change have a negative
impact on debate.
One of the most visible markers of this is the physical position of staff in Union Council. If a staff
member is centre stage for all to see and is free to talk and influence the actions of the chair, the
perception of Union Council as a whole will be that that staff members has power over Union Council,
even if our Democratic Structures suggest this should not be the case. This should be a key item for
debate and resolution by the DPC in the 2018/19 year, particularly with the change in leadership of the
SU at UEA.
Speakers at Union Council
During the Academic Year 2017/18 we had a number of issues arise as to speakers at Union Council,
these related to the type of speakers booked, their attendance at all see Shakira, and the amount of
time they took up versus relevance. Go over those booked this year.
It is vitally important that Union Council is seen as a place where the student body can talk to and
interrogate senior figures at the University, however this rarely goes beyond the four walls and it would
be important going forward that this is covered in a more meaningful way, such as by recording the
talk and the questions from councillors. This would help to increase the profile of Union Council and it’s
accountability to the student body. Beyond this it would make sure that this is not just a room where
people come to tick a box about student bye in as stake holders. This information needs to be more
widely available and there needs to be a real desire from students to be in the room or at least see
what is gaining on at council.
A reflection on the time and sacrifices of student Councillors
It is crucial that the work of the volunteer councillors is supported and encouraged in the SU
18
• More awards for specific work done by Councillors
• A form of pay and support for chairs of Caucuses and other committee’s to validate the work
done
• A regular interview slot with normal councillors to again build their profile
• More work on what being a councillor can do for a students academic and professional career
19
Appendix One: Democratic Procedures Committee (DPC) Report on SU democracy 2017/18
Context
The Democratic Procedures Committee completed its second cycle of business supporting the
democratic running of Union Council in 2017/18. The committee consisted of 10 Union Councillors,
including the Chair of Union Council and the Campaigns & Democracy Officer. The remainder of the
members were elected from Union Council at the first meeting of the year. DPC meet every Monday
after Union Council,
The committee's role at Union Council is to interpret the SU’s constitution and advise the Chair
accordingly. As well as supporting the Union Council Chair to run Union Council according to the
Articles of Association and the Bye-Laws. DPC elected their own Chair at the first meeting of the year
following the first Union Council of the year. An interim chair was elected on an ad hoc basis to release
the chair of their duties when they had conflicting democratic commitments.
DPC meetings receive clerical support for Students’ Union staff. All minutes from the meetings are
available to all student members to view on the SU website.
Additional to roles the DPC have in meeting, the DPC have a wider responsibility to promote uea(su)’s
democratic structure, promoting an accessible environment for all to participate in and make
suggestions to improve and enhance SU democracy. The DPC is responsible for agreeing the cycle of
business for the year for Council to consider.
Reviewing 2017/18
In May 2018 DPC hosted a Democracy Day which brought together student leaders from across the SU
to discuss their engagement with the SU’s democratic structures throughout the year. From the
minutes kept of DPC meetings during 2017/18 the following themes and observations were recorded.
These discussion points have been consolidated into recommendations to enhance the running of Union
Council and inform the work of the DPC for 2018/19.
Throughout 2017/18 the committee debated a number of areas of areas of DPC and Council joint work,
identifying a need for clarification of their remit. The core centred on the role of advice and the
interactions DPC with the Union Council Chair during meeting. These debates highlighted the need
to define how DPC members should manage their dual responsibilities.
The DPC has identified a need for councillors to receive support with motions which could become a
review of resolutions process during the time between a motion being submitted to the Chair and being
published with the agenda to be sent to Councillors. The committee agreed that this would need to be
the work of DPC and not carried out by a staff member. This was trialled in part for 2017/18 via
Microsoft Teams meeting function however DPC members found the workload difficult to manage with
their academic commitments and other Council duties. It was suggested that a Policy writing training
for all councillors could improve the quality of motions submitted.
There is a need for staff roles to be explained to all councillors during training as well as the staff
protocol and Code of Conduct for Union Council to be highlighted. DPC discussed, staff members’
involvement in meetings and had concerns about where staff sit in the room and where staff should
be visible to Union Councillors or sat in a position that could be consider intimidating.
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Potential Policy discussed but not enacted
Union Council received 46 motions for discussion during the 2017/18 cycle, of these motions, 44 were
adopted as Union policy, which reflects a 95% adoption rate. Due to time pressures the open
discussion aspect of the meetings was often omitted from the agenda, resulting in Union Councillors
not having opportunity to formulate policy during meetings via discussion. A full list of motions
considered at Union Council are list in Annex A. There is also need for Councillors to be able to submit
topics for open discussion enabling the discussion to be informed by and react to arising events.
Resources
The minutes from the DPC reports identify a number of resources needs, specifically a space for the
DPC to work from. There is also a need to the DPC to have a small budget to fund promotion activity
which is part of the committee’s remit.
The DPC made recommendations for Union Councillors to receive an information pack as part of their
training including a glossary of terms used at Union Council, a guide to Procedural Motions and Points
of Order, a guide to drafting a motion and the structure of a debate, defining the roles of speeches and
questions.
The DPC identified that an increase in the profile of democracy on all uea(su) platforms would
improve knowledge of the SU’s democratic structures among the wider student community. Other
route for promotion included, utilising the signboards in the Hive to update the wider membership on
Union Council business.
DPC debated the option of live streaming Council meetings for non-Council members to observe the
meeting remotely. As part of this discussion it was noted that the service used this year had a
cost implication and was considered to have caused an uncomfortable atmosphere during Union
Council meetings. These unintended consequences will need to be considered when investigating
alternative low-cost options.
Coordinating the work of Union Council
Generating a cycle of business was challenging for the DPC this year due to the volume of guest
speakers and the associated processing work. Successfully presenting a cycle of business at the
beginning of the year would support Councillors understanding of their role and aid the smooth running
of Union Council meetings. A full cycle of business for the year would include any guest
speakers, detailing when policies due to lapse and be discussed. Moving forward, at the end of each
year the DPC will complete a process of annual review and make recommendations to enhance SU
democracy. Discussing these recommendations will become part of the Union Council’s annual
business with the annual report presented at first Union Council meeting of the following year.
Extensive discussion took place about how to support and train a newly elected chair in their role. It
was suggested that the election of the Chair could take place in the final meeting of the year prior to
office being taken. Another option present was the potential for two councillors elected as Chair, in an
equal role to act as co-chairs. The second model would support councillors with heavy workloads,
access requirements or caring responsibilities, holding the role of Chair.
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Policy Lapse
DPC debated the role of policy lapse and how Union Council should manage the annual standing item
for policies lapse. It was considered that the time required to consider
lapsing policies was unmanageable and that debating each policy in turn would disturb the running of
council. DPC decided to group the policies on Council’s behalf, then send
them to Councillor for consideration outside of the meeting.
It was suggested that reviewing policy lapse could be split across two meetings or Core belief
Policies of the SU could be defined which would be kept indefinitely unless a councillor brought a
motion to Council to debate them. This would require an amendment Bye-Law 1.16.
DPC highlighted how newly elected FTOs need to receive the relevant policies during their handover
period to help inform their work. Previously FTOs did not have policies they were mandated to deliver
highlight to them.
Training
It was agreed by the committee that a successful training program is integral to each Union
Councillor’s interaction with Union Council for the year. The DPC recommends that this year’s training
should include strategies to help Councillors interact with their constituents and demonstrate best
practice for how to do this effectively.
Some clarity needs to be given to the role of accommodation reps to help them in their role as a
member of Union Council. Some practical items have been recommended by DPC to enhance the
content of the Councillor training, including a need for policy writing training to assist Councillors in
making change and explaining the various aspects of the meeting such as procedural motions and
points of order. As well as information assists councillors in understanding how they can contribute to
Union Council business.
The training also needs to give greater emphasis on Councillor’s rights to propose amendments to
motions to inform the shape of the debate ahead of the meeting itself. Some practical advice needs to
be given around the impact of taking a question in parts as well as giving examples to how the debate
will take place.
Additional training needs to be given to the Chair of Union Council and the members of DPC as this
does not currently take place.
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Policies proposed to Council 2017/18
Policy Outcome
19th October 2017 Giving the SU back to its members Rejected Meat Free Mondays Withdrawn
2nd November 2017 Night of the Living Wage: Boycott Picturehouse Adopted Making the Role of Education in Council Clearer Adopted Transition at UEA Adopted Student Finance Adopted Academic Support at UEA Adopted Code of Conduct for SU Members Adopted Employment Rights for Postgraduates Who Teach: No to Casualisation in HE Adopted
Thursday 16th November 2017 Support the People & Planet Day of Action Withdrawn Cheap as Chips Adopted Ratification of the Staff Protocol Adopted First Bus? More like Worst Bus … Adopted Making the Library & Arts Hub Accessible again Adopted
Thursday 30th November 2017 Defending and Supporting Direct Action Adopted Meat Free Mondays Adopted Working to end Student – Staff Sexual Misconduct Adopted UEASU Response to OfS Consultation Adopted Going it Alone: Improving Dissertation Support Adopted
Thursday 25th January 2018 Emergency Resolution: Stop the Demolition of the Haymarket Food Stalls Adopted Emergency Resolution: Backing UCU in the Pension Dispute Adopted Norwich Stands Against 40 Days for Life Adopted Making good on the working-class promise Adopted Study Space for All Adopted RPI’ing us off Adopted
Thursday 8th February 2018 May Contain Nuts Adopted
Thursday 20th April 2018 Tackling Invisible Disabilities Passed Ask for Angela Passed Amendment to the Bye-Laws: Support and representation for disabled students Passed Amendment to the Bye-Laws: Effective Representation in HSC Passed Financial support for Disabled Students Passed Amendment to the Articles of Association: Changes to the Trustee Board composition Passed Sport for All Passed UEASU must recognise Holocaust Memorial Day Passed Responsible Alcohol Consumption Passed Care AND Car Parks Passed Dismantling Endorsement Culture Passed Voter ID pilot Passed
Thursday 10th May 2018 Meaningfully Tackling the BAME Attainment Gap at UEA Passed Academic Union Councillor reform Passed
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It’s More than Just a Space: Use of the Graduate Centre Passed Investigating PGR Engagement with the Students’ Union Passed Increasing our efficiency when supporting students' lecturers and university staff Passed End the Trade Federation Blockade of Naboo Passed Code of Conduct for Course Reps Passed Library Book Loans Passed For Our Future Sake Fell
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Schedule for meetings:
term 2
Union Council dates Proposed DPC dates 24 Jan 19 14 Jan 19 7 Feb 19 28 Jan 19 28 Feb 19 18 Feb 19 (new date)
4 Mar 19
9 May 19 29 Apr 19 (new date) 13 May 19 (new date)
