OUSU have decided to employ four new part-time officers in an attempt to improve their track record on welfare.
A recent OUSU report states that the new positions are being introduced “in order to compensate for OUSU’s failings on Equal Opportunities issues.”
The four roles will cater for Black and Minority Ethnic Students (Anti-Racism), LGBT students, Mature students and Students with Disabilities.
The Student Advice Service Review Group, the report reveals, embarked upon such a task “following over 8 months of uncertainty regarding the future of the Service.”
Martin McCluskey, OUSU President, claims that there had been “big arguments” regarding welfare, and OUSU needed to “start again from scratch”, in order to have “one final say” on the welfare provision.
The report also mentions “some acrimonious and bitter debates in the previous academic year”, referring to the motion proposed in Trinity Term 2007 by then OUSU Vice President Imran Khan to have a referendum to abolish the position of OUSU Vice President (Women).
This motion failed, but a separate motion to “consider” the role of Vice President (Women) passed.
However, ten Common Rooms requested such a referendum, and one was held in 6th Week of Trinity Term 2007, and was conclusively defeated.
The Council continued to review the situation, but OUSU admits that the final report, the Welfare and Women Working Party Report, “came to no definite conclusions”.
McCluskey claimed that by Hilary 2008 it was time for OUSU to “tidy things up” with regards to welfare, and to ask themselves “is this the best use of resources?”
The Review Group even considered “abolishing the role of President” in the course of their discussions, questioning if resources could be better spent on employing a sabbatical officer with a specific task.
McCluskey denied that this was a serious consideration saying, “it was not realistic”, but rather “a matter of course”.
He did suggest, however, that OUSU would benefit from “more full time members of staff to reduce the workload” of the President, a role which the report admits is “rather ill defined and… a considerable amount of work.”
“Most worryingly”, the report states, “the role of President frequently compensates for the lack of professional support in other areas of OUSU”, giving examples of recruitment, and liaising with legal and financial advisers.
Despite McCluskey’s claim that this report should be the “final say” on OUSU’s Welfare, the report leaves some issues unsolved. The report suggests that the position of President, for example, “should be re-assessed in the future.”
The fate of motion to amend the constitution to incorporate the four new part-time officers, proposed by McCluskey and seconded by Louise Randall (Vice President Welfare& Equal Opportunities), will be decided at the 5th Week Council meeting this Friday.
This report which announced the new positions was entitled “Strengthening Welfare” and was published this month. It was compiled over the course of Hilary Term and the Easter vacation.
