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.
Ellis, who said she was "too emotional" to read her statement, passed her speech on to Anne-Marie Canning, UGM Chair, to read. It said: "Violence, no matter how small the action or chance of physical harm is unacceptable in my eyes."
Ellis said she felt: "that being responsible for students is a gift of trust."
I am a bloody good Academic and Welfare officer.
She said: "I feel that the integrity of the Union has been questioned and has left her unable to comment on some key issues relevant to her job."
"If people, no matter how few, feel they can't talk to her about their problems then it is unacceptable."
Ellis spoke as one of the 'For' speeches in one of 12 motions debated at last nights meeting.
The full statement made by Joey Ellis can be read here
The debate over the motion of no confidence continued for some time, as various speakers raised their concerns about the continuance of Fletcher-Hackwood in her position.
Both parties involved, Dan Taylor and Fletcher-Hackwood, spoke during the UGM.
Fletcher-Hackwood told the filled Vanbrugh Dining Hall: "I would like to start by saying I am so, so, so sorry for hitting Dan Taylor and I am truly ashamed of my behaviour."
She told the room: "However, there are things for which I will not apologise for. I will not apologise for drinking alcohol. I will not apologise for slipping on a wet floor at a campus event last term, and I will not apologise for taking a leave of absence in my second year. Why do I bring up all these things? You might well ask that of the people involved in the campaign to smear me."
She continued: "On top of the guilt, my family and I have been upset by the malicious lies told about me during the past few weeks. So if you want to hurt me, you've done it."
She ended her speech with: “I’m sorry to sound as arrogant as you all think I am but I am a bloody good Academic and Welfare Officer.”
Taylor said: "It's nice to see Grace playing all our emotions there."
He said that he did not feel the apology issued by Fletcher-Hackwood via his Facebook profile the following morning, and publicly on The Yorker was "unequivocal".
He said: "A YUSU Academic and Welfare Officer hit another student, personalities out of this, because that's what pretty much everyone's tried to do, that is the crux of the matter."
“This boils down to the fact that she hit another student in a drunken, and unprovoked attack.”
For further details on all the motions discussed at the UGM see here
The dismissal of Doorsafe after the discussion of the motion suggests that trouble may have been expected; Sam Bayley, YUSU Societies and Communications Officer and co-Chair, told the bouncers: "Buzz, Nick, if you need to leave please feel free."
There's a lot of anonymous posting going on here, so it's hard to know which posts, if any, are genuine and not plants.
I don't know remember anyone saying last night that it was ok to hit Dan. If Russ did, I strongly disagree with him. I certainly made the point not that this was about 'personalities', but that the two people were well known to each other and had frequently engaged in bitter debate, but that this argument got personal and there was a fair amount of goading involved (so 'unprovoked' is inaccurate). Though again, in case I am willfully misinterpreted, this did not make it ok. But it IS important to understanding what actually happened here. I think a lot of students out there have been led to believe that this was a case of 'Welfare Officer hits random student'. In actual fact the incident was basically personal in nature and one that didn't appear to be taken very seriously by Dan at the time. There was a sincere apology the next day and an acceptance of that apology.
The fact that it has become more than a personal incident is that it has been used by Dan and others, and I do not believe anyone can seriously doubt this, as the pretext for a personal and political vendetta. A pretty nasty, vicious and yes, highly 'personal' vendetta. And I have also previously stated that I thought there would be others who wished to stick the knife in as well.
In this context I absolutely stand on the following statement: If the Officer(Welfare or not) in question were any one other than Grace, then we may well have never heard of this incident, let alone be talking of no-confidence. The motion is entirely didproprtionate to the real nature of the incident in question and unjust. The witchhunt is about other things....
Sorry posted 20 after thought I'd posted 21 there.
Rubbish.
On clarification: "others who wished to stick the knife in as well" was not referring to Joey. Though I do believe the conclusion she has come to is not a fair response to the incident, she is not someone whose personal integrity I have any reason to question.
I post anonymously because I am a member of staff and don't wish to be identified. I was a student here hence still have an interest in what goes on. I'll change my question. If I hit a particularly odious student would you think that was acceptable?
I do think that this whole thing has taken on a personal spin that isn't fair to either person. If we go back to the very basis of this problem, these two people frequently antagonise and argue, and have well known issues with each other, but this may actually make Grace's actions worse. It may well show a lack of control on her part. I think everyone would be willing to admit there was some argument beforehand, but to strike out at a student, and then state that it wasn't such a problem as she was a smaller person than him and therefore unlikely to cause harm is outrageous.
Respectfully to 25. No, it would not be acceptable. You would have been in the wrong. But if it was on a night out and I thought that the incident was essentially a personal affair and that the harm actually caused (which is why the relative size of the two people is part of understanding the actual seriousness of the incident - not an excuse) was not of any serious nature, then I would not be call for your job.
A view from a former YUSU Officer and Chair of Senate
What an advert this whole ‘No confidence’ debacle has been for campus politics. There’s so much which has been said before. Grace made a mistake. An apology was accept then declined. Grace might not be the easiest person to negotiate with, blah, blah. But that’s not why I’m writing this. My own feelings here are that one incident is being used to crucify a friend and a great YUSU officer;
THE PUNISHMENT FAR OUTWEIGHS THE CRIME.
Grace has been on the receiving end of a lot of shit flinging during her time in York, but this is the vilest. The most ironic thing about it is that this time, everyone is getting sprayed. The all rumours and the stories available have all suddenly come to the surface. It’s very similar to the strategy the News of the World uses when it takes great pride in ‘ruining a person’s life every week.’ Isn’t it unnecessary when the no confidence focuses on one recent incident? Any sort of discussion about a person’s history is a low blow, and is only used to undermine someone. The vote is not about a year’s break from study or whatever, it’s only about what happened outside of Chav D. The sad thing is, it’s happening, and its punishment enough.
When I leave York, the thing I’ll remember which summarises Grace best is a conversation I once had with Robbie Dale in Toffs many moons ago. He said “Grace can really piss people off with the way she goes about things, and although I don’t always agree with it, I respect her because she is one YUSU officer who gets results.” It’s no secret that those two rarely saw eye to eye, yet he had respect for Grace, something which isn’t being exhibited by many at the moment.
On first hearing of the incident, I had a friend staying over who is currently on a year in industry. I told him what had happened, that sides where forming over facebook groups of all things. His response was “That’s exactly why I never got involved with campus politics.” That’s pretty sad, and I’d be more than willing to make a huge bet that he’s not the only one thinking that. The political manoeuvres here will only serve to damage those left in campus politics after the vote has been made. There aren’t going to be any winners from any move to remove Grace from office.
I implore those who have stuck the boot in over the last few days, those all too eager to put that damning golden soundbite in the campus media, those who are planning to vote against Grace to take a long, hard look in the mirror and just think about what you are doing; the fairness and the consequences of it all. When you are voting, take only into account the incident with Mr Taylor, and no other event that has occurred been yourself and Grace. That’s what any decent jury would do, and well, that’s the only way I think YUSU and campus politics can save any of it’s lost integrity over this whole affair. Having worked at YUSU and known many of you over the last three of four years, I know you can all make the right choice, although I’m disappointed that I see little evidence from some at present.
Voting opens on Monday. You all have the weekend to reconsider what you are doing and the time to realise that you should all do the decent and just thing…
Matt
I've had a few facebook messages about this, and I'd like to point out that I'm not the 'anonymous' member of staff who posted above!
Tom Flynn
To clarify: I was not provoking Grace on the night. Grace followed me out of the event to have a go about the fact my friend had been kicked out. I did not shout, I did not threaten her, I did not raise my voice, I did not confront her- I told her how orresponsible she was being and showing herself up to be a complete idiot. I did not hit her. She undertook the violence; not me. If this was personal on her part, does it not make her even more irresponsible in the sense that she hits people she disagree with? If we all started doing that, we would be walking around with bruises. Indeed if we did that in any credible working enviroment, she would be given the sack. She committed a criminal offence; in law, intent and not harm are 9/10ths of the law and her intent was there. On the subject of hurt, what if say Matt Burton had hit a female student? He may well ahve seriously hurt her because of his natural size, but the intent was there on Grace's part as much as it would have been Matt. I was lucky it was not Matt because I would have ended up on the floor, rather than just laughing after she hit me and trying to diffuse the situation.
Going around in circles anyone?
Students are going to have their say on the UGM, they will be able to read speaches for and against the motion online.
Now, let's all do something useful with our lives and leave all of this anonymous arguing behind us!
The sad truth of this is that Grace is taking the brunt of YUSUs mistakes.
Grace should of been reprimanded immedeately by YUSU, rather than YUSU waiting for pressure from the media and the student body. The motion of a censure for GFH was a good move but far too late. I have said it before but if YUSU had punished GFH straight away rather than hush the whole thing up then it would not have gone this far.
Sadly it seems Grace has to go now. YUSU needs some serious reforms and a new sabs team asap.
The motion of censure was proposed at the first UGM following the incident. I can't see how YUSU could have taken serious action before it was reported in the press - did the Yorker not publish a story about 3 minutes after the incident took place?
This is deeply unfair to YUSU sabbatical and non-sabbatical officers who work themselves into the ground for the students of this union. Their work has been completely eclipsed.
Students hold union officers to account and discipline them. Please vote on the UGM www.yusu.org/vote
I think that with where this situation is at now, there is no way that Grace could continue in her position as welfare officer, and not simply because she hit a student. As it stands now, there is a proportion of the student population who do not feel that they could turn to grace to discuss personal issues with her. Surely when a welfare officer loses the trust and respect of the students she is meant to be looking after she can no longer fulfill her role suitably. Yes, she may have done a good job in some areas up to now, but if people cant turn to her in a time of need then she is useless in her position. It's harsh, but it's true. And it is this which leads me to side with a vote of no confidence.
32, obviously you've not been following the rest of this story, but the YUSU Exec don't have any power to sanction officers! It has to be done at a UGM! So how have we made a mistake??!
And I take issue with the fact that this incident means we require a new sabb team. If you can explain why you don't have confidence in myself, Anne-Marie, Matt, Joey and Jo any more, fair enough, but I don't see this forthcoming. Please keep this on topic and if you have a separate complaint to make, make it through the proper channels - I'm honestly happy to hear it if we can improve whilst remaining inside our constitution and the law. Saying that, I'll even help you change the constitution. But you have to tell me how!!
does anyone else think it is fitting that Dan Taylor keeps misspelling 'defuse' (pacify) the situation as 'diffuse' (spread) the situation.
comment deleted by a moderator I apologise for spelling mistakes. I really don't think thats an issue. If you choose to see irony in it, then that is your own stance. I think it sort of draws attention nicely away from the fact that our A&W Rep. hit another student in a drunk and unprovoked attack. She should understand that all actions have consequences and such actions are diametrically opposed to the mandate that an A&W Rep. holds to the students of this institution. In any other walk of life, such actions from an individual in her position would result in her removal, yet she seems to view her position as a 'right' and not a privelege and responsibility. She should act humble in victory (when she does well at her job) and gracious in defeat (when she has made a gross personal error). She is trying to stay aboard a rapidly sinking ship with public opinion increasingly no longer with her. Her credibility is no more and her integrity lacks entirely. The honourable course of events now would to witness her resignation over the weekend combined with an apology and a thanks from all the students for her past good work. I fail to see how she can, with any credibility, campaign on matters like responsible drinking and issues surrounding violence, after this incident, as well as losing (as she inevitably will) a motion of censure. Her position is untenable, as would anyone else's be in her position or in any other professional walk of life, for hitting a student.
Dan Taylor
oh yeah its completely irrelevant i just thought it was funny. If the biggest hole I can pick in your argument is a spelling mistake you should be pleased!
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