Junior Member allowed to sit on Queen's Governing Body
Students at Queen's will finally be represented at Governing Body meetings after college officials ceded to the JCR's requests
Previous Queen's College JCR Presidents have repeatedly failed to gain sufficient SCR support for the proposals. But this decision, which had the almost unanimous backing of the college's senior staff, will now allow both the JCR and MCR Presidents to sit in on governing body meetings. They will also be allowed full access to the agenda and minutes.
Speaking to The Oxford Student, Queen's College JCR President, Rebecca Patton, hailed the change as: "momentous", believing it to be, "a sign that the traditional views of the Governing Body are beginning to be broken."
However, the decision is only provisional pending official changes to the college's by-laws and Standing Orders, which are expected to be ratified at the next Governing Body meeting.
Nicholas Bamforth, Fellow in Law and Secretary of Queen's College Governing Body, believes that the college community will be brought "closer together" as a result. He told The Oxford Student: "There were a variety of reasons for voting in favour of the change, including the hope that decision-making will be improved if more sections of the College are involved."
Only Greyfriars and Lincoln still prohibit any form of student representation to their senior executive body.
18th Nov 2004