A RADICAL proposal for a student common room in Heslington Hall was crushed at the community assembly last Tuesday.
Third year Patrick Evans attempted to pass the motion, telling the assembly that the historic building was “a great attraction for the University,” and felt it important for students not to be “banned from it.”
Evans claims that the move would “provide an opportunity for interaction between senior management and students.”
However, despite his plea, the motion was voted down unanimously by the YUSU official dominated assembly, in contrast to the “very warm reception” received on both the YUSU and Student Development Assembly websites.
The motion was then changed to “we should lobby the University to improve accessibility of Heslington Hall as a matter of urgency” which was subsequently passed.
The original motion’s opposition was led by YUSU President Kallum Taylor, who whilst praising the manner in which the motion got people thinking about the relationship between students and senior staff, asked the question: “what would come of it?”
Taylor said: “Heslington Hall is used for meetings and offices; trying to ‘gain ground’ from this would be nothing more than a token gesture.”
Other concerns discussed at the meeting also included the lack of footfall near Heslington Hall and difficulty in procuring it from senior management.
However Evans told Vision the experience left him with a bad taste in his mouth. The one-sided nature of the electorate prompted him to speculate that “he wouldn’t have annoyed if it was voted down by actual students.”
Evans also cited the influence of Taylor. “The fact that they all have to work with Kallum means that it would be awkward for them to vote against him.
“Vanbrugh Chair Matt Stephenson said it was a good idea then Kallum went against it and he changed his mind.”