Menstrual product accessibility and campus study space: ASM

The All Student Meeting was held this Monday in the Copper Rooms to discuss and debate various motions ranging from menstrual product accessibility to study spaces on campus.

The first motion of the meeting was on the ’Consent Culture’ at the University which Josie Throup, the former Women’s Officer, gave a speech in favour of.

She was backed by Luke Pilot, who stated how “useful” the ‘I Heart Consent’ workshops have proven to be so far.

The motion included funding and organising sex-positive consent education for all students, as well as conducting awareness campaigns on sexual assault and harassment on campus. The consent workshops will not be compulsory for every student.

Second, was a review of the University Health Services in which it was suggested there were not enough health care resources available. The motion also detailed that there is an issue with addressing mental health problems in the current system.

Next on the agenda, was the issue of menstrual product accessibility, in which Chloe Wynne, the Women’s Officer, spoke of the need for menstrual care products in Warwick SU and Warwick campus accommodation.

She highlighted the current issues with opening hours and distances to outlets that provide menstrual care products.

Josie Throup backed this motion, as well as complimenting Chloe Wynne’s speech by dubbing it “a bloody good motion!”.

All of these propositions had no rebuttal speeches and only comments which were in-favour of the motions.

This was not the case for the ‘Boycott, Divest and Sanctions for Peace’ (BDS) motion where a heated debate pursued. One section of the motion demands that the SU boycotts all companies and organisations currently listed in the NUS BDS Student Handbook.

Debates took place in which those that were against the motion suggested that the it would delegitimise the State of Israel and invade freedom of speech, as well as disadvantage the Jewish population on campus by restricting their choice of products from boycotted companies.

In defending the ‘for’ argument of the motion, it was claimed that it would not discriminate, and that if there were no product alternatives, then these companies would not be boycotted.

The topical issue of study space was addressed as well. It was said that there is a current dilemma as there are just 2,500 study spaces for over 23,000 students.

A possible resolution for the short-term issue was also discussed. This included the possibility of students working in unused seminar rooms in term 3.

The last motion of the evening was to improve ‘Warwick SU’s Institutional Memory’ by including pages in Freshers’ handbooks on the history of the Union as well as have a website dedicated to the history of campaigning at the SU.

Voting for these motions closes on Friday 12 at midday, you can vote here.