The first Union Assembly of the year saw two motions passed by student vote.
The first motion – to create a more relaxed graduation option – passed with a 74% majority and had a turnout of 1,922 students.
The second motion, which advocated for the Students’ Union to adopt a “Trans Inclusion” policy passed with a 70% majority and had a turnout of 1,936.
456 votes were cast against the first motion, with 168 abstentions. The second motion had 527 votes against and 199 abstentions.
Each motion needed 400 votes and a two-thirds majority, without abstentions, to pass.
The first motion, put forward by Humanities Officer, Katie Jackson, aimed to introduce “a more relaxed graduation option” which would make graduation “more accessible for students.”
The proposed graduation option is aimed at making a more suitable graduation option for students who dislike large crowds, as well as providing an option to those who do not want to pay for graduation gowns, which cost £42 to rent.
The second motion, proposed by Trans Students’ Association Chair, Hailey Birch, advocates that the Students’ Union “should recognise that the UK was and is shaped by cisgender normativity.”
It aims to dismantle “systemic transphobia [that] threatens the mental and physical wellbeing of trans people and upholds patriarchal power structures.”
The motion demands that the Students’ Union should ensure all buildings on campus provide at least 50% gender-neutral toilets, as well as for the university to give direct aid for trans healthcare within the University medical service.
It also wants students to be given the option to change their name on Blackboard, Outlook, and their University ID. Currently, the University only provides gender neutral toilets within 36 of their 127 buildings.
These motions were debated in Academy 2 of the Students’ Union on Wednesday October 4, 2023, with the vote being opened for seven days directly after the event.
The next Union Assembly will be on February 15, 2024. Motions can be proposed by students via the SUggestions section on the Students’ Union website.
