Setting
In a newly refurbished Brooks bar. The new table and chair layout makes this meeting much more convenient.
Present: JC (Vice-President), EM (President), HB, JS (Working Class Students’ Rep), AH (Female Welfare Officer), SPB, LA, HMM (Assistant Ethnic Minorities Rep), MR (Ethnic Minorities Rep), EG (Assistant Students’ with Disabilities Rep), EGS (Students with Disabilities Rep), RM (LGBT+ Rep), LM, HH (Postgraduate Welfare Rep), HCM, ES (Senior Welfare Officer), AC (Welfare Campaigns Manager), BC, JG
Apologies: OW (Male Welfare Officer), LH (Assistant LGBT+ rep), EK, AS, SDB
Absent: FG, JZ (International Welfare Rep), OB, LD
SHAG Week
AC: This will be the 4th SHAG week we’ve done, so we want some new ideas. We’re also thinking of doing some videos where people pull questions out of a box and answer them, like on BBC3.
ES: SHAG stands for sexual health, advice and guidance. Last year we had minority reps doing podcasts. For example there was one on fetishization of people of colour. There was one on sex education relating to LGBT+ issues. We’d like to do something a bit more visual this year. We could perhaps do something on sex and faith. We need someone who’s good with a camera.
EM: Our artist in residence this year is a filmmaker and he wants to collaborate with us.
ES: We tend to do lots of pub quizzes, it would be nice to think outside the box. Last year we did karaoke, which we could do again. Any other ideas? Last year we had pin the junk on the hunk. I’d like an event as well as social media.
AH: It might be nice to continue something related to the consent workshops we had at the start of the year. Maybe something slightly more nuanced as a discussion or a talk.
ES: I liked the joint discussion with FemSoc last year.
RM: LGBT+ sexual health would be good to include.
ES: We also need lots of posters for social media. Particularly relating to STIs. Also some on accessing sexual health supplies and tests. A lot of the information can be lifted from the welfare handbook.
AC: I’d like one event that’s a bit more serious, and one more fun event that might have some games.
ES: We’ve received feedback that a lot of our campaigns come and go and nothing stays, so videos would be good way to have something that stays.
JG: It would be good to have something surrounding stigmas relating to STDs. what they are and what they mean.
AC: We could also do a true or false thing, particularly for stigmas and stereotypes.
ES: Karoake was fun and is a possibility.
JS: Karaoke was our most attended event last year. It did work.
HB: In school we did sex ed in a fun way like putting a condom on a banana. I think basics are still important for some people.
ES: We could have karaoke in the front bar and games in the back bar.
JS: Maybe have a competition for how fast people can put a condom on a banana safely.
ES: We also like to have funny prizes like stress boobs and inflatable penises.
AH: I think it’s good to break the tension with silly things. Then once people are engaged we can give them more useful information.
AC: So the main things from that are the videos and ideas for games and discussion topics. Also start making posters now.
AH: Do sexpression have anything university student related or is mostly schools?
ES: I’m hoping they have something we can use. We could have a sexual health workshop because some people don’t get it at school.
AH: We should put up some step by step guides and what to do in certain situations, such as if someone thinks they have an STD. That would be useful as well as preventative education.
Community and Allyship
AC: College are going to help us with this a lot, including bringing in speakers from different backgrounds.
ES: I brought this idea up college were keen. The week starting 10th Feb, we’ll have a panel discussion on Monday including staff and students who will talk about issues they face and what we can do to help. There’ll also be a focus on how we can build a community as allies. We’ll have some pre-set questions then we’ll open it up to the floor. Then on the Wednesday we’ll get some people in to do workshops. One will be on how to be a good ally. It will be educational and interactive. We also want something on emotional intelligence. The filmmaker in residence might also help us put something together. We might do something Humans of New York style but on what makes Cuth’s Cuth’s and how we can bring people together. Then on the Friday we’ll have a celebratory event where we bring the speakers back and show the film. If anyone would like to talk in the video, or knows someone who would, let me know. Also any ideas on postering etc. But this will mostly be organised by college.
Survey Feedback
ES: People said that the housing campaign was very effective. The responses to campaigns were all very positive though, but some people felt there were too many. So this term there’ll only be three, the third of which will be related to eating disorders. I don’t know what I’d do for that, so I’d like you all to start thinking now about what we could in a sensitive and appropriate way.
AC: Any ideas anyone has, please let me know.
ES: It would also be nice to cover PG issues and academic burnout in between campaigns. So get in touch with HH about that.
HH: It’s something that affects UGs as well.
ES: it would be good to have some Instagram content that we’ve created in between campaigns. I think it’s nice to still do educational things in between campaigns. Make sure you all read up on all these issues so that you’re educated on them.
EM: We have a lot of international students, especially Chinese, and I wondered if we might be able to do something to help them, possibly translating posters so that’s it’s easier for them to understand them.
Action: AC to speak to EE (international rep) about which other languages might be useful.