Tuesday 11-02-2020 - 17:26

Reported by Anna Marshall, Assembly Media Observer

Decolonisation, sustainability and democracy were the focusses of this February’s Assembly as members gathered for their first meeting of Epiphany. The room was packed to overflowing, and many were forced to sit on the floor for lack of seats. 

Decolonising the curriculum

Undergraduate Academic Officer Sam Johnson-Audini’s motion to support ‘decolonising the curriculum’ was the first on the table. “If we accept that knowledge is a power source, who we legitimise means something. Students of colour are tired of being shut out of their own curriculums and we would like to see that change”, Audini told Assembly before their motion was successfully passed, with the clarification that, “This motion should not immediately end the conversation, but rather start one. It is vital that this project does not fall on overworked academics. This is not the end stage; this is simply something that the SU can use in the future to shape its work”.

Signing the United Nations Sustainable Goals Accord

Opportunities Officer Jess Dunning enjoyed similar support for her motion to support the University to sign the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals Accord. The SU will now be pressuring the University into releasing a report on their commitment to achieving the UN Sustainability goals. “By getting them to record what they are doing, we can see what they are doing but most importantly what they are not doing. Kate [McIntosh, SU President] has already agreed to sign the accord on behalf of Durham SU.” 

Discussing the structure of Assembly

The issue of democracy within the structure of Assembly continues to be tackled, with two motions being brought in the hope of smoothing the democratic process. Laura Curran’s motion to remove the Assembly’s power to choose a Secret Ballot was narrowly defeated. David Evans argued, “Retaining the option allows a bit more power in Assembly’s hands… we shouldn’t take power from a hypothetical future Assembly who could need this power.” However, hopefully less motions will fail in the future due to Sarah McAllister’s “Open Forum” motion passing, which suggested motions could be drafted in a more collaborative space before being decided upon.

Divesting from Barclays Bank

The most heated topic for discussion was Durham People of Colour Association's Vice-President Seun Twins’s motion to pressure the university to divest from Barclays Bank. Twin argued “The fossil fuel industry is toxic, and therefore the University banking with Barclays is problematic – boycotting Barclays seems like the next logical step.” There was some concern over how this change would affect college banking, and many members queried the practical issues which a change of bank account could bring to student societies. Twin successfully reassured Assembly that “We are expecting the University to centrally lead on this, and then the colleges to change… They have already said they will divest from fossil fuels but this is just a step to make that true.” Twin dismissed concerns that a change in university banking partners would limit career opportunities for students.

 

Members were reminded not to drink during Assembly, and Chairman Jonny McCausland explained the Governance and Grants Committee’s decision to reject a controversial motion which had been leaked on Durfess. This was rejected due to the concern it didn’t constitute good governance and had defamatory content. An external independent consultant has been commissioned to conduct a report into this issue. 

 

Assembly will next meet on Thursday 12 March. All Durham students are welcome to come along and join the conversation about how to make the future better for students in Durham.