In this JCR meeting, there are some updates from the officers, a motion for a disclosure and divestment referendum and a discussion of plans to turn Howard Lodge into a Conference/B&B Hotel

Welfare

• Outlines drop in, crumble sessions, masters dogs
• Another crumble night on the horizon!! 
• Sip and paint some time soon as well

Disabilities

• International disabilities awareness day next month!
• Meet ups stopping as no one showed up
• Work made on the support to study letter

Sports

• Giving day(s) soon! 
• Event on Wednesday, walk around college to raise money for it
• Varsity sports day hopefully being arranged, we will be in Lincoln college oxford! 

LGBTQ 

• Formals and bar crawls in the works

Greens

• Catering meeting! Things happening with formals

Academic affairs and careers

• University challenge team looks good!! 
• Meeting with Hamish for academic affairs this Monday - how to drive student engagement with him 
• • If you have ideas let him know!

Comms

• Nothing to report

Treasurer

• Budget feedback helpful, processing changing
• Getting ready to run the rooms ballot

Gender Equalities

• Free period product has done its first drop
• Talk in the work with woman from Barclays
• Debate night after this with snacks 

Freshers officer

• Bridgemas tickets going out soon
• Creating hand books for next years reps

Motion from Student: Petition for referendum on student permission disclosure and divestment 

• UCU vote is soon for divestment now is a good time for a discussion about this
• Students should have a say in how students should have a say
• Improve student diagnosis
• Disagrees with the idea referendums are not useful, mobilising the conversation
• Other colleges hold referendums (Kings, Clair etc) 
• • Masters surprised by showing support in other colleges, so it could have a change 

Questions for Student

• President: How did other colleges do the referendum?
• • Typically online, can provide guidance on how to do this as has contact with other members 
• Motion passes - meetings will happen to make this happen

Question from student

• There is a cap on annual cap on prescriptions - Can we raise the cap?
• • Cap based on average amount apparently, President will have discussion to increase limit, Disability officer will be involved 
  • We’d need to allocate more funds if lifted the cap as we nearly went over last year
• College policy on room booking - can this process be made easier?
• • A lot of rooms are used for conferences so they are booked, partly why controlled by college
  • Also there are insurance reasons why this is booked like this, hence the hoops to jump! 
  • Need to pay if non downing students there 
  • We can’t pay commercial rates!
  • President will look into this and see if it can be simplified

Question from student

• A couple of people in K 
• • Construction work has been disruptive and loud
  • Take it up with college for rent reimbursement as its hard to do work in rooms during the day
  • Ongoing silverfish problem with K

President: Plans to turn Howard Lodge into Conference/B&B accommodation

• Downing is in a deficit due to covid, inflation and more
• Downing try and minimise student costs, as its a student education charity (not a profit!)
• Want to use Howard Lodge becomes a B&B for conferences, part time students
• • This would pull us out the deficit
  • More money for the facilities
• Places would move to singer building, K, Cuba Libra (once built)
• Now also 60 rooms by the train station for accom (hence why singer building is free)

Student Comments and questions

• Where would they eat? - would they be in the hall? What would happen to blops?
• • Is there space in the dinner hall?
• Could they come to DBar, gym or wellbeing centre?
• • President: No
• Will they sign code of conduct? 
• • How would it be enforced? Does it matter?
• College would feel less safe
• Could we isolate Howard lodge - corden it off?
• • Safety issues with tennis court road gate
• There are people under the age of 18
• Why not Cuba Libra?
• • Work not until 2027, not even confirmed
  • Would take a long time
• Why not Lensfield road properties? 
• • Can’t charge as much
• Number of accessible rooms should remained unchanged 
• • Need to ensure diversity of rooms for out of ballot students
• New k staircase rooms will be empty (maybe part time students)
• With H staircase lock: its listed, so why cant we put something inside to put a wall inside to limit access? 
• • Nowhere to put a door not directly on staircase
  • Quick fix, cam card or bathroom or doors?
  • Space did not feel safe - some old man knocked on a students door by accident
  • Porters had directed to their toilets according to tourists who spoke to students
• What are porters doing when they log something?
• • We aren’t sure but we think there's a log - will look into this