Bailed Out: Students claim University relied on YUSU

Students claim that the University “had to rely on YUSU” to “bail them out” after “forgetting” that they needed a JCRC or a Student Association to organise the freshers. A student high up in the Goodricke JCRC has claimed that second years have been “put off” from applying to help organise Constantine Freshers’ Week, as “the position is only being held as a ‘Welcome Committee’ rather than a JCRC.”

Only 10 people originally stood for the Welcome Committee, and only five positions were filled. One Goodricke student commented; “The Vice Chair of Services position was not filled. Bear in mind that this committee’s sole purpose is to arrange Fresher’s week… So with a skeleton committee and a vote of 18% of the college membership, which has around 150 people in it, this committee is less than fit for purpose.”

In addition, members of Goodricke, including four members of the JCRC, were told that because they had applied to live in C block next year, they were now members of Constantine College and had to leave their position.

A source from the Goodricke JCRC commented; “Kate Dodd was being horrendous about the four girls leaving the JCRC. They were crying and really upset because they were given no warning and told nothing about potentially leaving the JCRC when they signed up for what they thought was just new accommodation!

“Credit to YUSU and especially our Provost, Jane, who fought until the end to keep them in Goodricke. That’s what true college spirit is; Kate Dodd knows little of this, sitting in her little office in Hes Hall.”
There has also been discontent amongst other Colleges regarding the amount of funding Constantine is receiving compared to others.

One JCRC member commented; “It is rumoured that their College will be given £15,000 as a start up fund to help them run Fresher’s/have a JCRC. No other college gets this kind of funding! Vanbrugh have had to scrimp and save, and now because of the Uni’s f*** up in terms of getting a committee together, YUSU and the Constantine College team are having to bail them out.”

Tara Annison, Goodricke JCRC Chair, told Vision; “The setting up of Constantine College JCRC has been less than adequate, the uni has failed to recognise the importance that JCRCs and SAs have in running Fresher’s week, as well as general college life, it’s now really showing and there is immense pressure on the five people on the Constantine committee who have never organised a bar crawl, let alone a full Fresher’s Week!”

George Offer commented; “It’s been over 10 years since a new college was set up. This is a new process for everyone involved, and we worked hard with the University to ensure a student-led committee is in place to work with the College to give all new Constantine students a great welcome to York this Autumn. There has been a budget allocated to the College to spend this side of summer to make sure the facilities and equipment in Constantine are as good as anywhere else.

“I’m sure you can understand the work that has gone into setting up the College from scratch. Right from the start, the University involved YUSU, and other key stakeholders in decisions regarding the College particularly around Student Representation, with the committee structure as is voted through by Constantine founding members at an open meeting. It will ultimately be up to all Constantine students as to how they are represented once they are resident and there’ll be a College-wide consultation next year to establish how they want to be represented.”

“I am genuinely excited to see the college take shape over the coming months: the new committee has already started work, Cat is doing an excellent job and I’m really looking forward to September when the new community moves in.”

7 thoughts on “Bailed Out: Students claim University relied on YUSU

  1. I thought the reason Vanbrugh have to scrimp and save is because they spent a tonne of money they didn’t have? They were also bailed out by YUSU, so not sure how they can complain about that. At least Constantine have the excuse that they haven’t had an opportunity to make (or lose if you’re Vanbrugh)their own money.

    Not to mention the fact that all the colleges are given a Fresher’s account with money they are expected to make back, Constantine is hardly being treated specially.

  2. There are many factual inaccuracies in this article which Goodricke ought to address before spreading them.

    1. The committee is called a welcome committee because Constantine do not yet have a constitution. A matter which will be voted on in term one when the new freshers, who will make up the bulk of the collge, arrive.

    2. The Vice Chair for Service (Entertainment) is filled, so this point is null and void.

    3. The college is being given money to run a freshers term, how else is it meant to acquire the funds, being brand new?

    4. The college does not only have ‘five people on the committee.’ It has 5 people on the exec team, exactly the same as Goodricke and similar to most other colleges.

    5. They are recieving support in a number of areas to help them run Freshers week, so why not get behind them and help a new college get off the ground, rather than making inaccurate, unhelpful criticisms?

  3. I love how you have to read until the third paragraph to even know this is about Constantine.

    How stupid are the tearful Goodricke JCRC members who thought they could live in one college and be a member of another? That doesn’t happen anywhere else. Also, says a lot for Goodricke JCRC’s “college spirit” when 4 of them want to live on campus, but not in Goodricke!

  4. “Vanbrugh have to scrimp and save”? I wonder why that is? #DanWhitmorethetoptreasurer

  5. The college you’re in is not exclusively based on the accommodation you’re in. You can choose to swap rooms with someone from another college, and staying in different accommodation in your second year does not automatically change your college.

  6. I was on the ill-fated 2011/12 Vanbrugh JCRC and the problem was actually sponsorship money that didn’t come through. I still remember the look on Danny’s face when he found out that #superstevo hadn’t actually got any of the promised “sponsorship deals” signed and on paper…
    Still, stupid not to have them checked in first.
    (braces for downvotes)

  7. @John

    1. The committee was originally called ‘The Welcome Committee’ because it was to comprise of a small team of people to organise freshers and welcome in the new Constantine members then Constantine would recruit a full JCRC/SA when the other colleges held their elections in December. Not just because there was no constitution.

    2. The VC Services was not originally filled in the first round of elections, the only VC was for community which is a rebranding of the VC welfare most college have.

    3. It is not the issue of money being given to the college but the AMOUNT of money, no other college is given/has that amount of money solely for freshers. Constantine will not have £15,000 worth of expenses that other colleges have, just because it is new.

    4. The elections for the welcome committee only had 5 positions filled; Chair, VC Community, Secretary, Treasurer and Ents Rep … these are not the standard Exec positions, it is also worth noting that nominations for further positions were open but people did not nominate themselves e.g sports officer. After the elections, there were indeed 5 people on the Constantine Committee, the entire committee has LATER been filled up but not in the original elections.

    5. At no point was there any suggestion in this article that Goodricke JCRC was against the Constantine Welcome committee, this article is directed at the inadequacy of the UNIVERSITY in setting up such a committee and in recognising the important of a SA/JCRC. Goodricke, like Langwith, will be fully supportive of the Constantine committee and there is no reason to suggest otherwise in this article.

    Possibly those who wish to criticise the Goodricke JCRC should read this article again and then they will see that the focus of discontent is on the university NOT the members of the Constantine Welcome Committee, any other interpretation drawn from this article is simply false.

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