A group of York students has won the opportunity to have their very own I-phone application developed after winning The App Challenge final, held at the Ron Cooke Hub on Wednesday, January 18.
YUSU Welfare officer Bob Hughes has warned students to be vigilant after a student loans phishing scam has been revealed.
Her Majesty the Queen will be visiting York on Maundy Thursday, 5th April, as part of the 800th anniversary of York’s Charter for the traditional “Royal Maundy” ceremony.
A flood caused by a heating system “failure” forced the university IT services to shut down many essential systems on Sunday night, causing problems for many students on the eve of their exams and assignment due-dates.
The YUSU Academic and Welfare Officer told The Yorker she “fully admits that this was a fuck-up on my part” and “something that happened when I had had far more to drink than I ever intend to again”.
The incident happened outside Derwent after History and Politics student Taylor left the Club D special event on Friday night.
He said: “I left the bar with two friends after one of them was asked to leave because he was quite drunk.
“Grace stormed out after us and was shouting at me about my friend – at the previous Club D I had been stewarding and had had to ask her to leave because of her own drunken behaviour. She thought it was funny that this time it was one of my friends.
“She was very drunk again, so I told her she was being embarrassing and making a fool of herself. We were both shouting by this point and I said some things she didn’t like. I told her she didn’t represent students with her views and she came up and punched me in the side of the face.”
History and Politics student Taylor is well known on campus for his outspoken views on student issues.
The two have a long running feud Fletcher-Hackwood describes as: “a relationship of mutual disagreement”.
She said: “I do think it’s relevant to make the circumstances of this incident clear. The student was absolutely not hurt, nor was that my intention: what we’re talking about is a strapping football player laughing while an inebriated, five-foot, seven-stone weakling landed him a feeble tap on the ear.”
Her position as an elected sabbatical officer means that Fletcher-Hackwood is responsible for the welfare of all students on campus.
Taylor said: “The problem is who she is, not the situation. It’s really not on. She completely loses all credibility as a YUSU officer by doing such a thing.
“We do tend to wind each other up but that night she was more than just angry, she was drunk – and the drink spurred her on. This could have happened to anyone who held a different view to her, and as far as I am concerned, hitting someone because they hold a different view to you is pretty wrong.”
Fletcher-Hackwood sent an email apology to the student the following day stating she was “so, so sorry” to let him wind her up that much.
She told the Yorker yesterday: “I agree that this is completely inappropriate behaviour for anyone, particularly the YUSU Welfare Officer.
She added: “I am glad of the opportunity to apologise again publicly – but ‘inappropriate’ is the most serious word you could use to describe it and as far as I’m concerned the matter is now over.”
Here's a theory: maybe Grace secretly quite fancies Dan and wanted to pull his hair? Thus the classic school playground signal would have been sent: the whole affair seems as childish as that anyway.
Imagine the children! They'd be so politically minded their heads would explode!
I would be one of the last people to defend Dan Taylor, and yes, he probably deserved a good smack. But if someone gives me rubbish I don't agree with (as you so clearly don't Grace) I at least have enough dignity and self respect to walk away.
And don't blame it on the drink. Its pathetic. We are not 16 year old any more. Grow up and act your age. Or at least act like the worthy Yusu member you seem to think you are.
No-one deserves a smack for their views not being in line with another persons. From what Dan says and indeed witnesses say, Grace followed him out of the event and confronted him. Dan apparently laughed and was casual in is criticism of Grace's silly and childish outburst. In no way did he deserve a punch in the face. It comes down to the old principle: "I may detest what you have to say, but will defend to death your right to say it". Grace not only withdrew Dan's right, but also took physical action with regard to that.
How can anyone think she has an ounce of credibility left in her anti-domestic violence campaigns, equality and general welfare issues when she goes around punching the veru students she represents?! Dan, as much as it pains me, I am with you on this matey.
Facebook group calling on Grace F-H to resign with immediate effect:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7972681957
Grace is a YUSU officer and her drunken attendance at YUSU events is therefore a bit like getting off your face at work and abusing one of your 'inferiors'. (Sorry Dan.) This year YUSU officers were supposed to be dressing professional to be professional. You can wear the clothes Grace, but...
Hello,
Let me tell you all a few things. Grace is probably the most unselfish, giving person I have ever met. She has worked her way up to where she now is, by working bloody hard and genuinely caring about people... and it hasn't been easy either. She is not and never has been a binge drinker and you bloody so called intelligent people ought to be ashamed of yourselves for condeming someone for one mistake, instead of looking at what she has done for you for years.....And not that i would ever, ever condone violence, but sometimes, in this politically correct world of ours, isn't it refreshing to give someone a clout? It didn't hurt, for goodness sake and in a world where it's still perfectly legal to physically chastise a child,stop being so dramatic...she was drunk; she's sorry. End of.
Hear hear #46 has summed up the situation. Let's move on shall we...
No-one's saying she's not a good person. But she is guilty of an unprofessional act.
Well done to her for saying sorry. But, if YUSU are truly a professional body, there should possibly be some kind of 'slap on the wrists' handed out.
It IS disturbing that she is not only a member of YUSU but, in fact, their WELFARE officer.
It is NOT 'refreshing to give someone a clout.'
And what exactly has she done for me, personally, for years, please?
Oh, something else I've just remembered. When Grace was fighting on behalf of the porters- that's FOR the porters, there was a scuffle and one of the porters hit Grace- but she didn't report it, because she knew it was in the heat of the moment and that it would look bad for their cause. She is a good, caring person
"In this world of political correctness..."
YUSU and Grace are York University's bastion of political correctness, campaigning on issues like 'lads mags on top shelves', all the equal rights melake, ethical clothing and ironically, against domestic violence. Thus to argue that in some perverse/ironic way she did this and it's a graet victory for the anti-PC brigade, is frankly a load of rubbish. Before knocking other's intelligence, maybe look at your own before coming up with such a ridiculous hypothesis.
Grace has done nothing for me as a student...thats that point done really. She was drunk- she is sorry because the press got hold of the story, not because she did it. It could happen again, and as Dan reiterated earlier, if it does happen again, she should not be part of YUSU when it does. I certainly don't want a drunk, violent, binge-drinking individual as someone who is meant to be incharge of my student welfare!
Hear hear
To #50.
Whatever clever things you say, you clearly don't know Grace if you believe she is as you describe her... and I am very intelligent- and mature too! I can't expect you to understand - we all have our limitations after all. You sound very dramatic - perhaps you should join the drama soc - I hear they're very good!
dan taylor is definitely not a football player 
I think the problem is that as campus press tends to focus on the big controversial things and Grace's outspoken views on many issues (which I'm not discussing here), the image of her is very one sided. I'm sure she does good welfare work (we probably would have heard about it if she wasn't doing a good job), but let's face it "Campus Welfare: Ticking Over Nicely" isn't the most exciting headline...
I (and I'm sure many students are similar) have never had to deal with SU Welfare or Grace directly (the only time I met her was during the search in town for Rob Davies) so it's not fair to judge her welfare work on a lack of information.
I'm not a tori member. I'm not a rugby player. I'm one of the least political people I know. I’m also new in the university and had no idea who Grace was before I read all this. I still do not know her but from what I have read about her and the work she has done I don’t think she’s a bad person.
I was there on the night in question and watched the whole thing and let me say that it was six of one and half a dozen of the other as to who was being more insulting to the other. Dan was laughing as Grace and telling her she was an embarrassment, whilst Grace was screaming that Dan was an embarrassment to the species and that she could not understand how he could spout such excrement on such a continuous basis. There was also a generous amount of name calling and swearing going on. I found the whole thing quite funny to be honest, especially when the little five foot spit-fire jumped up fist balled and smacked Taylor in the face. To his credit though, he didn’t react, just kept laughing and smiling and Grace got herself under control and walked away from the explosive situation. She seemed truly embarrassed and ashamed of what she had done only minutes later as she walked back from the party, especially when I noticed her and asked, with a smile on my face, ‘You’re the lass who lamped Taylor aren’t you?’ She sighed that that was ‘all people are going to remember me for from now on’. At the time I merely chuckled but it appears she my have been right.
Now, I went to school with Taylor, (please don’t crucify me yet), and he was an outspoken lad there too. Definitely someone capable of winding people up the wrong way… especially women. Lol. I find it easy to understand how Dan could get Grace so wound up that she committed an act of passion in the heat of the moment. A regrettable mistake and nothing more and one that I believe she whole heartedly regrets, and not just because she got caught as I have read some say on here.
However, crimes of passion, especially drunken ones, make up a regrettable majority of criminal proceedings in this country and the guilty parties are still punished, even if such mistakes are completely out of character. As YUSU welfare rep, someone in a position of authority and responsibility for exactly such mistakes, Grace has to accept that her actions will have consequences for her career. Whilst I’m sure that Dan was as much at fault as Grace that night for the argument, he is not in a position of authority in the university, and he did not lash out.
Grace knows that this incident may very well be the one that ‘all people are going to remember me for from now on’, whether it be in the light of the hero who finally gave ‘the chauvinist pig’ Daniel Taylor what he’s ‘had coming for a while’, or as the drunken, violent, hypocritical disgrace to YUSU, or, as I hope, as a strong willed woman who made a mistake and was brave and honourable enough to own up to it and pay the price for her actions.
I think she should step down with thanks for her previous work, which I understand to have been excellent, that no record be kept of this incident to stain her own record, and that she be allowed to go on with her life.
I don't know Grace particularly well, but I do know her, and if any of you think she doesn't regret this, you're crazy.
I'd also like to know who this 'majority of students' are that would rather see no-one as Welfare Officer than Grace. Yes, some people have a problem with her for whatever reason, but the idea that the majority of students dislike her or even care that much who is their Ac&Welfare officer is laughable, frankly. Look at the number of people who actually bother to vote in elections. I've been involved in student welfare and I can assure anyone who doubts it that Grace does a good job.
Grace made a mistake. Yes, it was a very serious mistake, but she has apologised unreservedly.
I agree, and I'd like to say on behalf of myself and everyone I have spoken to that we certainly don't have any less faith in Grace to do her job than we did before.
Domestic violence happens in a home. I must have missed Grace and Dan's wedding...
Yes I'm sure she does good work, but her conduct was "unbecoming of an officer".
Taking an extreme simile: would the Archbishop of Canterbury be allowed to carry on if he fondled a small boy?
An apology is a good start, but *perhaps* something more is necessary. That decision should be left to the people who can be bothered going to YUSU meetings.
PS. Comment number 60 - w00t!
Never before has The Yorker seen such controversy! :p
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