Wednesday 07-11-2018 - 16:51

A group of student group leaders have got in touch with me with some concerns about the student group framework we’ve been working on over the last year, and the consultation that has happened throughout its development. I think a lot of miscommunication has caused confusion so I thought an email from me might be helpful.

 

The particular focus is some revisions to the model student group agreement and model student group constitution, which you can find in our Assembly papers here. It’s a change I’m proposing, and which I truly believe will help protect groups and their members and reduce the burden on student group Execs. The work itself has been initiated by Durham SU’s Board of Trustees, so I have sought some clarification on your behalf and that’s what I want to share with you here. I hope that this information will mean that any groups that have questions can find out some more, and hopefully, some confusion can be avoided or cleared up to facilitate good debate. The majority of concerns raised seem to be about the quality of consultation undertaken, so I’ll provide some information on that first.

 

Have students been consulted on this?

I’ve insisted, from the start, that students should be part of shaping the way their student groups keep up their legal obligations and protect their members. The agreement and model constitution were kickstarted because we were hearing from our student group leaders that requiring them to be meeting all the legal regulations around data protection, financial transparency, democratic processes, branding and trademarks, affiliations, sponsorship and contracts, media law and libel, volunteer human resources, banking, charity law and much much more is just too much to expect each group’s volunteer Exec to navigate and to look after fairly. I got the message loud and clear that groups need simpler regulations and more help, and I’ve insisted that the Board is responsible for ensuring that you get what you need to undertake your activities in a way that’s legal and doesn’t put students or Execs at risk. This work was led by a Steering Group made up of one of our elected Durham SU Officers and two student representatives elected from last year’s Societies Committee. Then, this year, I’ve attended several meetings of Societies Committee, and I’ve met with elected College Union Reps and with the Association Collaboration. I’m doing everything I can to talk to people about why this is necessary and how they can shape the process. I want to have many more conversations about this over the year ahead. But I’m confident that right now we’ve asked the right questions to elected student reps, and a model is now ready to share more widely. At Assembly, on Thursday, I’m asking for further discussion and permission to begin the next stage of wider consultation with students.

 

I don’t just want Durham SU to consult with students. I want it to show that it’s owned by students. I don’t claim that the SU gets it perfect every time, nor do I expect that all students will agree on the best course of action – this is the basis on which we’re a democratic organisation – but I’m trying really hard to show student groups that these proposals are informed by their priorities and totally possible to change based on feedback. I’m really pleased, for example, that some society Presidents and people from the Associations have engaged positively with the proposals and are suggesting amendments at Assembly that, I think, make the proposals better. It’s great to know that people spotted something I didn’t and have taken the chance to take improvement. I hope Assembly considers these amendments and that we have a better motion because of the discussion. This shows that our consultation and our democratic processes are working just as they should.

 

What are the model student group constitution and student group agreement?

It’s important to recognise that there’s already a Student Group Agreement that applies to all of our societies, associations, clubs, and so on. And there’s already a model constitution. This isn’t about installing a new layer of regulation. It’s about making the current regulations consistent, easy, and fair. The constitution you have in place now details why your student group exists, what it does, the Committee positions you elected, the frequency of meetings, and so on. None of these will change. The overwhelming majority of student groups will be asked to make no change at all. I’m asking Durham SU Assembly to consider what we think all student groups should have as a minimum standard of regulation, and to agree a seven month consultation period to work with you all to make a transition to the new model easy, and to accommodate the specific things you care about most that won’t be in any model.

 

How will consultation with student groups happen?

Many of you will be used to the process I’m suggesting to start consultation, because the SU did the same thing a few years ago when the University proposed to stop all societies using ‘Durham University’ in their names and we fought them to protect student groups’ rights. Staff members from the SU had a conversation with every single student group over just a few weeks in 2017, and made sure that any group who wanted to abide by the University’s regulations understood the implications and did so fully aware of their rights and alternatives. I’m suggesting that the same thing happens now. So the consultation with student groups will include:

 

• I’ll share the model that Assembly and the Board think is a sensible starting place by email and putting in on the Durham SU website.
• I’ll put ‘Progress on Consultation’ on the agenda for every Societies Forum meeting and Societies Committee meeting.
• I’ll write an update in the regular Student Groups Execs email every month.
• I’ll provide a thorough update at Assembly meetings in December, January, March and June.
• I’ll take questions and be held accountable for this work at every student meeting I attend.
• I’ll hold regular office hours where any student group can drop in to talk to me about their thoughts.
• I’ll ask the SU staff team to have at least one meeting – and as many as it takes – with every student group in Michaelmas term.
• I’ll ask the SU staff team to have at least one meeting – and as many as it takes – with every student group in Epiphany term.

 

I’m really confident we can get this consultation right, and we’ll take the time to listen and respond to each of you individually. I hope that explaining in detail how student groups will be consulted on this gives you all confidence in how seriously I take this. I want to understand the concerns you have, and what you need in order to feel confident about the model documents. These are absolutely open for change over the consultation period. Indeed, I made sure that the very first page of the proposals states: If you would like to make any changes to the template to deal with any specific needs that your Society may have, please do explain those changes and the specific needs in as much detail as you can when applying for registration or re-registration (as applicable). The Societies Committee has discretion whether or not to accept certain changes, and therefore whether or not to accept your application for registration or re-registration. The more information that you can provide to help the Societies Committee to assess the changes, the better.

 

Why has the Board decided this is necessary?

A few particular incidents happened in the past two years, which threatened every student group in some way – due to the heightened scrutiny of large events like balls by the Police, because there were specific incidences of ticket money going missing and financial irregularity, because democratic procedures were not always followed in a way that respected the rights of society members to govern their own societies, because there were safeguarding concerns involving vulnerable adults, or because a data protection breach threatened students’ rights to privacy. These specific examples of student group difficulties – some of which made national press but most of which aren’t public because of their sensitivity – brought the question of what common standards of regulation existed for Durham SU’s student groups. Societies Committee and the Board commissioned some independent legal advice last year so they could make good choices about the best way forward. The outcomes of their discussions have formed the proposals that are going to Assembly.

 

Without the confidence that comes from a common regulatory framework such as this proposal, the Board have made it clear to me that higher risk student group activities won’t be possible. For example – many of you undertake activities in different countries and require different insurance. Some of you have partnerships with political parties or other charities, and these invite particular scrutiny from regulators like the Charity Commission. A few of you have sponsorship contracts which place specific responsibilities on you and on Durham SU. Some of you work with children or vulnerable adults. All of you are now operating in an environment where all student group members have different data protection rights which we’ve got to respect. The external regulatory environment for student groups has changed over the past few years. I want to make sure students agree a careful and deliberate response, and aren’t forced into any rash action because of an incident in the future. If one group inadvertently runs into difficulties, then all groups get implicated in subsequent overreaction, as the Board or Police or a regulator imposes enforced mitigation measures. I’m trying to help all student groups by adopting common language in areas like bank account management, complaints procedures, and what happens when a group decides to wind down, for example. I want to keep student groups doing their awesome stuff. I’ve made these proposals based on what I know will give the Board the confidence they need, but there’s absolutely the chance to amend these proposals at Assembly, and adapt them over the next seven months.

 

Is this the right thing to do?

I think so. I’ve heard some specific points about consultation loud and clear – and I’ve explained in this email that I think there’s been some confusion about the fact that I’m proposing to start a consultation this Thursday, not end one. But I haven’t actually received any concerns about the content of the proposals that haven’t then been solved by suggesting amendments that will be debated at Assembly. I’ve generally been told by students that these proposals are sensible and seem a reasonable response to what student groups accept is a more complex regulatory environment. But I’m really worried that some student group activities might not be able to happen because of an unnecessary delay in starting consultation on the framework. I hope members of Assembly will vote for the proposal, and that everybody recognises the importance of this work to keeping student group activities going.

 

Deferring the proposal to December reduces the time to formally consult student groups with the support of the Opportunities Team. The better thing to do for our student groups is to start a thorough consultation as soon as possible, based in direct conversations with groups once Assembly has agreed that's the right way to proceed.

 

Durham SU supports over 250 student groups who all do wonderful and different things. Many of you have been recognised with national and local awards, and have such loyal and enthusiastic members because of the special things you do. I don’t want the Board, in any way, to stop student groups doing the things they’re currently doing. These proposals, at my insistence, don’t change anything about student groups’ aims, objectives or activities, your Committee positions, general meeting frequency or format, or relationships with external organisations. These are the things that make student groups special and I’m determined to protect these at all cost.

 

Who can I ask for help?

I’m the Durham SU Officer, elected by all students, with responsibility for helping student groups continue to be awesome, and I will be the person lobbying at Board and with the SU staff team to make sure this happens well. You’ll hold me accountable for how well this consultation happens. You can get in touch with me by email at su.opportunities@durham.ac.uk or come along to my first drop-in at 14:30-16:30 on 15 November in Meeting Room 1.

 

NB: Unfortunately Charlie is ill today (15/11/18). The drop-in times will still be available for you to come and talk to staff from the Opportunities Team, and future drop-in times with Charlie in attendance shall be confirmed.