Tuesday 20-02-2018 - 12:00

AMM returns on Tuesday 27 February. This is the biggest event in the democracy calendar, each year bringing together hundreds of Bristol students, to debate and decide Bristol SU policy for the next three years.

The debate can get pretty heated - and not just from the fumes of hundreds of free pizzas. Year on year, AMM sees impassioned debates on a range of issues affecting students. With that in mind, we thought we’d take a look at some of the things Bristol students want to see in 2018. Remember you can vote in the priority ballot to make sure the motion you care about most gets talked about at the meeting.

 

Increasing inter-faculty open units

More open units for more students! UOB offers 95 open units but 60% of them are offered by the Faculty of Arts. The other 40% are shared between Faculty of Social Science, Law, Science, Engineering and Biomedical Sciences. The motion proposer thinks all students would benefit with a range of balanced open units.

This motion asks for the SU to gather feedback from students and to propose for more inter-faculty open units with the Undergraduate Education & Postgraduate Officer lobbying the University.

 

Protecting students in nightclubs and bars

Safer nights out for Bristol students! Statistics show that 1 in 7 students experience sexual violence. This motion asks that Bristol SU Bar and club staff are trained so procedures are followed with any harassment accusations. It also asks for the SU to work with other popular night venues in Bristol to make sure they have a zero tolerance approach towards sexual harassment.  

 

Be Mankind Active

Extending on from the Be ManKind campaign, this motion suggests a male equivalent to Fit & Fab (currently a female only exercise programme). With suicide being the biggest killer of men under 45, this student led programme with a voluntary committee and Bristol SU support hopes to offer an affordable and non-judgemental exercise spaces to discuss and reduce mental health cases.

 

Making PG Education Officer accessible to International PG Students

This motion wants to make the current PG Education Officer role more accessible and inclusive to PGT (masters) and international students. The PG Education Officer role begins June to June which clashes with PGT taught course and causes difficulties with visas for international students. They want this to take into effect from March 2018, so for the next elected full time PGE officer.

 

Establish a Multifaith Network

Recent policy passed at Student Council shows a demand for the SU to be more inclusive with all faiths, beliefs and spiritualities. This motion asks for the 14th SU network to be ‘Multifaith’. The multifaith chaplaincy provides a base for students from a variety of faiths but there’s currently no formal representation in the SU. The aim of the network is to connect interfaith relations, smash racism barriers and bring together mutual cooperation.

 

Bristol SU to Support University Strike Action

Strike action is being taken by UCU in February and March this year over pension disputes. This motion asks for Bristol SU to publicly support and publicise any upcoming and future strikes over the next three years. It also asks for Bristol SU to speak out on behalf of Postgraduate Research Students to make sure their interests are defended.

 

Boycott the border industry on campus

This motion asks for Bristol SU to cut ties with the border industry and lobby the university to do the same, making Bristol a national leader in the campaign. The border industry is comprised of a number of companies that operate in border security and immigration policy enforcement. Five of these companies run for-profit detention centres within the UK.

 

Denounce Brexit

The UK Government is currently taking part in negotiations to remove the United Kingdom from the European Union (EU) in response to the results of the 2016 EU referendum. This motion asks for Bristol SU to lobby local MPs to reject the Brexit deal. It also asks to advertise and provide support for students on the changes they face with regards to travel and work rights.

 

Support Refugee and Asylum Seeker Access to Higher Education

This motion wants the University to commit to a definite five-year plan on providing scholarships specifically for asylum seekers, refugees and those seeking humanitarian protection. It also asks for the University to declare itself as a University of Sanctuary by September 2018.

 

Prevent Future Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF) Groups from Holding Events at the University

This motion proposes that an event hosted in Bristol recently was Transphobic, so this policy calls for changes to be adopted to make sure certain student groups feel safe on their campus and that events like this don’t happen again. They want this to happen by the SU lobbying the University to adopt the same policy. Also, they want an events committee to be established to vet proposed speakers/groups.

 

Vote in the priority ballot by 12pm on Friday 23rd February to have a say in which order the motions should be heard. You can see the full motions at www.bristolsu.org.uk/student-voice/get-involved/democratic-events