The motion on Oversight Commission (OC) Schedule 4 Review was brought to Comhairle on March 10th by current Education Officer Buster Whaley, and seconded by Orla Norton (Ents Officer) and Grace McNally (Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU/AMLCT) President).
The “OC Review of Schedule 4” motion mandates the Education Officer to propose amendments to mandates at Comhairle found to be problematic by the OC if it is deemed necessary by the Sabbatical Officer Board. Since the OC has found some motions to be “problematic”, an amendment was proposed for the motion.
The amendment would acknowledge that “The Students Union can sometimes be inaccessible to students not directly involved and existing fora are not conducive to free-flowing discussion where students can raise concerns”. Recognising the need for the fostering of a welcoming environment for students, and the promotion of participation in the SU, the amendment proposes to mandate the Sabbatical Board to host a town-hall style open forum.
The minimum number of fora in each academic year would be reduced from seven to two, and they would be advertised no less than a week in advance by the Communications and Marketing Officer. The Education Officer would open every forum with a report on any actionables from the previous fora. The Education Officer would also be mandated to bring a summary of each fora and a report including actionables and general insights given from the fora to Council at least once per term in the form of a discussion item.
