Bristol Students Put World to Right at AGM

By Al_Shaw

Thursday, February 04, 2010, 10:51

Bristol University students will be debating the great issues of our age this afternoon at their Union's Annual General Meeting - and downing subsidised beer and free pizza in the process. 

The Union requires 400 students to attend the AGM in order for it to conduct its business and the introduction of free food and pound-a-pint beer is part of an innovative attempt to widen democratic participation among the University's 18,000 students.  It is hoped that the suspension of undergraduate teaching this afternoon will further incentivise union members to attend in large numbers and vote on a wide range of measures.

Motions proposing 24 hour library services, a dedicated University night bus and the creation of a sustainable policy for the Students' Union will be debated at today's AGM, alongside motions opposing Islamophobia and calling for increased Fairtrade products throughout the University.

AGMs - at which any student can propose a motion - routinely attract items for debate that might be considered somewhat quirky by those outside the heady world of student politics. Today's AGM includes a motion for the University IT system to block access to Facebook during the summer term, when revision is at its height. Proposing the motion, student Lukas Fischer notes with remarkable candour that, "it can be straining to resist Facebook when it is only a few clicks away (in the same way that it is harder to stick to a diet when you stand in front of a buffet)." 

Claire Soulsby, meanwhile, has proposed a change of name for the University's iconic Wills Memorial Building to, "The Smoking Can Seriously Damage Your Health and the Health of Those Around You Building" in protest at the Wills family's historic links to the tobacco trade.

A further motion proposes the Student Union construct its own ice rink.

The fun gets under way at 2.00 pm at the Anson Rooms on Queen's Road. It was unclear at the time of going to press how many pizzas would be available.   

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