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 motion has been proposed by Matt Burton, and is titled 'Move the University of York Summer Ball back to Campus'.
At last night's University Council meeting, Matt Burton proposed moving this year's Summer Ball to campus. Attendees approved the proposal, voting 13 to seven with four abstentions.
YUSU Societies and Communications Officer Rory Shanks said that since then, "It has become increasingly apparent that the views of the student population have been divided in their opinions of this move, and whether they would indeed prefer this event to remain at York Racecourse."
Since the proposal was approved, a Facebook group and a petition opposing the move have been set up. At press time, the Facebook group titled 'Motion to Move Grad Ball Back to the Racecourse' had 633 members, and the petition had been signed by 405 people.
Dan Taylor, an administrator of the group who attended last night's Council meeting, said: "This is clearly an issue students feel strongly about. They feel strongly that they should have been consulted before such a decision was taken.
"Matt has attempted to get this in through the back door when he could have had a UGM on it, and it's not worked. I argued it out in Council yesterday and a lack of concern for what students actually wanted was evident, to say the least. The idea in itself, for anyone who has seen it, is a complete no-brainer and that's what the students have seen."
Claire Hazelgrove, a third-year who is the Labour prospective Parliamentary candidate for Skipton and Ripon, added: "We need to make sure that everyone that’s signed the petition votes down the motion so we can have our Summer Ball back, because we deserve better."
Campaigns Officer-elect Jason Rose, who was also at last night's Council meeting, said: "I think that there are advantages and disadvantages to having the Summer Ball on campus and student opinion is very much divided on the issue.
"My concern is that the majority of the voting populace will not be fully informed on the issue and vote to resist change; but I welcome the EGM as greater democracy and think that it's a great way of informing the average student of the issues at hand. I am expecting the EGM to fall but students to welcome an on-campus Fresher's Ball."
Regarding tomorrow's EGM, Shanks said: "It goes without saying that the idea of a democratic decision making is one of the core-tenets of this Union, and is something that we vehemently uphold at York.
"It is for this reason that the President is prepared to uphold the request of going to EGM, in order to allow the whole of the student population a voice as to where they would prefer their Summer Ball to be held."
The EGM will be held at 2.15pm on Friday in L/N/028. Students will then have 24 hours to vote on the motion, from 6pm on Friday until 6pm on Saturday.
DT! What a hero. Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
Even if he is mainly doing it to piss off campus chairs...
>2
What planet are you living on? 690 people (and counting) are in the Facebook group and opposed to this. And you think it's to "piss off college chairs". I'm not even going to justify that comment with an answer.
I really don't see the problem with Grad Ball being on campus. I've got loads of great memories of campus. The only thing I've ever been to the Racecourse for was Freshers' Ball, and that was awful.
It's not that I don't think it should have been done, just that basically all of Taylor's comments are about how horrifically the JCRC chairs have acted - one even called for a mass No confidence vote. As usual, he has an ulterior motive.
I'm in agreement with Dan that students should have a say in where the ball is held.
I've been to two events at the Racecourse, Fresh (2005) and Grad Ball (Even though I wasn't graduating) (2008). And have visited many a campus event. The ones at the Racecourse are superior in my opinion.
The summer ball goes on well into the early hours, and not just for the odd one or two students, hundreds. To hold such an event on campus would be unacceptable, as there will be students who aren't attending and might want to get some sleep before 4am.
As a chemistry student, I would have exams in week 10; as did many other students, if the ball is held on campus than this disrupts many students who may be revising and want a good nights sleep.
I also think that going to the Racecourse makes the event more "special" otherwise it just becomes another campus event, the Grad Ball is an opportunity to get dressed up and say goodbye to some people you may never see again. Doing that on campus in my view, cheapens the event.
Stop having a f***ing dig at Dan for the sake of it. He organised a survey of students on this and they were more rght than our alleged representatives thought! I wouldn't let Dani represent me at a parish council meeting; I didn't vote for her because she's always been about number 1.
I think the groups now got 720 members. Oh and I can't see where Dan called for a no-confidence either, so keep your lies and untruths off this comment thread. It wouldn't surprise me if that was Dani or Sam Afshani, the latter of whom's welfare concerns were clearly met as I understand he voted for it. Another puppet of Burton.
Posted by Dan on the facebook group:
"That is, dare I say it, unless we no-confidence Burton..."
Sorry. I'm yet to see this statement from me advocating a mass no-confidence vote aganst JCRC chairs.
I really think you're talking rubbish.
shall we just no-confidence taylor? personally, I dont care at all where the ball will take place, so I will be voting against the motion just because taylor proposed it.
I'd be delighted if you voted against the motion. So shall I; you clearly haven't read it. If you had, you'd realise I didn't 'propose' it. Matt Burton did.
Get your facts right, clever-clogs.
Legend
Ahh Dan who are they going to have to moan about when you go to Sandhurst.
Classic comment from a former member of York Staff;
"spend atleast 3 yrs on a dump of a campus
y the f**k wud any of ya want to have another average meal there
uve funded it for long enought to warent a treat"
Damn. You beat me to the punch, Taylor Wrote a motion pretty much as soon as I heard! Not read the one for this EGM yet though...
I hope DT's got someone lined up to fill in for him next year!!!!!! Fucking hero.
I hear he's training Jason Rose as his replacement #18
Not sure I understand #7... have I avoided giving my opinion before? The Campaigns Officer is supposed to stand up for what students want, not what a select few tell everyone students want - I'll campaign for whatever I'm mandated to do by EGMs.
And #19, that would be epic.
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