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Passed Policies and Progress

Find out what Students' Union policies have been passed by students, and more importantly, what is being done about them.

Here you can find a list of all the policies which have been passed by student council. We're working on a live tracker so you can check the progress of each policy, but until we've got that up and running please contact your student president team to ask for an update on policies. You can also check out current ideas and rejected ideas.

Policy Idea

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  • 5 score
    11 voters

    Allow the Union bar to continue to be a safe space

    Submitted 5 years ago by David Laffan
    Passed
      1comment
      "The Association will implement a system where individuals can report songs which they or someone else find objectionable, and the Association will consider whether those songs are compatible with the Association being a safe space. Where a song is not compatible with the Association being a safe space it will be prohibited to be played or performed within SAUWS spaces. The Association will periodically publish a list of songs deemed to be objectionable as well as those complained of but not deemed objectionable, (but not of the identities or number of people who have reported said songs.) Any SAUWS member will have the right to challenge the decision to either ban or not ban any songs listed."

      Why you think it is important

      It is important that the Union remains a safe space for all

      Is there anything else you think we should know?

      This policy was modified by student council based on student comments prior to the meeting. It was agreed by council and the original proposer to vote on the modified wording. The original policy read as follows: Under this policy, people would be allowed to report to a Union staff member or anonymously online that a song is making them or another individual they know uncomfortable. Action will be taken to remove the possibility to play that song in any space in the Union. All reported songs must be noted down and stored in a spreadsheet. This must be available to all staff and anyone planning to use the Union to play music on request.
    Gordon Lawrie
    5:16pm on 13 Nov 19 Hi David, I would love to be able to support this but right now it's far too broad. Blurred Lines is objectively objectionable and I was disappointed that this policy was allowed to lapse, but a policy mandating that the Union remove any song that anyone anonymously claims makes them or someone else uncomfortable with no further examination could quickly lead to the Union playing nothing but instrumental Muzak! I am also not convinced of the necessity of reporting being anonymous; as long as the Association is not disclosing who is reporting that songs are potentially objectionable which they won't, because Data Protection, there is nothing wrong with reporters saying who they are, especially if those reports are being allowed on behalf of third parties. Something along the lines of "The Association will implement a system where individuals can report songs which they or someone else find objectionable, and the Association will consider whether those songs are compatible with the Association being a safe space. Where a song is not compatible with the Association being a safe space it will be prohibited to be played or performed within SAUWS spaces. The Association will periodically publish a list of songs deemed to be objectionable as well as those complained of but not deemed objectionable, (but not of the identities or number of people who have reported said songs.) Any SAUWS member will have the right to challenge the decision to either ban or not ban any songs listed." This probably needs fleshed out a bit more but I hope you agree that it would accomplish the goal while being less open to abuse.