JCR open meeting 28/11/2024

Committee Reports

Lucas: new rooms in 2026 across road from Plodge, K and L roof space is going to be converted (in maybe 2 years); wifi in library basement; R4 returning next term!

TM: new website is up and running

Stella: no updates

Charlie: lots going on, last week of women’s gym hours in term time; brief proposal for new bits of gym equipment

Andro: donation box in plodge in a few days’ time for things to donate to Embrace – student organisation tackling homelessness in Cambridge

More meal deals coming in with more options so larger discount for people who don’t cook; serving breakfast, lunch and dinner; will be communicated next term

Fatima: meeting with Rebecca (wellbeing advisor) and nurse because of concerns about accommodation and how they have been dealing with going into people’s rooms, concerns about privacy, taking pics, taking items, etc

-unknown nodeAaron: 2 days ago sent email to Accoms Office with complaint because of 2 incidents of people being in Q staircase between 1-3am in the last week – random person walked into someone’s room at 3am, concerns about that; small camping table in hallway was taken away without letting anyone know

-unknown nodeFatima: context for this was housekeeping & Accom coming into rooms and taking prohibited items without this being communicated. Also photos being taken of rooms without students knowing

-unknown nodeIssue with front doors not locking; homeless person using kitchen in Q

-unknown nodeNot told no locks on front door, difference in security not communicated

-unknown nodeLucas: College knows and is looking into putting locks on old ranges

-unknown nodeEmily: putting locks on doors in old ranges got held up by planning permission because they’re listed, but will bring it up again to try and get it moving faster

-unknown nodeAaron got response from College, have spoken to tutors and dos, real concern of people walking in and using toilets etc, not nice knowing that people can just wander in

Dara: BAME open mic night tomorrow evening at Magdalene, cultural food festival at the start of next term

Apple: final ent on Sunday – xmas silent disco in JCR

Trees (emergency motion)

Lime avenue (between I and N)

Lucas: proposal from college is to remove trees for health, consulted 2 tree consultants; the trees are too close together; within 10 years 10 trees are likely to die in a random pattern; possible to mitigate the damage by choosing which ones are removed instead of random ones dying; if no action, trees will randomly start dying; row closer to chapel will die, leaving permanent damage to remaining trees. College has proposed selectively choosing trees so they can choose how it will look, keeping as many as possible while protecting the remaining trees

Andro: if they were to get chopped down, College will commit to replanting but not immediately (because lots of new buildings are planned so they don’t want to plant trees and then have to remove them)

Sapphy: are the trees they want to take out the ones that block the view of the chapel?

Lucas: nothing has been confirmed yet. The current plan is to remove trees in a diagonal pattern along the whole avenue. There is a view of trimming two large trees on the chapel side, partially motivated by increasing view, but the primary objective is health of trees

Sapphy: lime trees are sturdy, long-standing; are they actually going to randomly start dying? Out of proportion. Chapel aesthetic thing is clearly in the mix. Very important for wildlife. Chopping trees down to save them is counterintuitive. No real sign they’re going to die. Statue – destructing trees unnecessarily

Emily: idea of using opportunity for aesthetics has been shut down; the Master was very clear on that; still deciding which trees will go; the tree consultants have said that the trees are killing each other as their roots are interfering with each other; extent to which they’re interfering with each other is unknown, but both tree consultants said trees will start dying in 3-10 years; could leave them, no decision has been made; if we want them to do nothing, we can tell College that

Sapphy: we should do nothing; idea that they’re destroying each other is unclear, extent of damage is debatable and unknown; next 10 years isn’t that soon, don’t think it would happen like that

Lucas: two tree experts said we should expect them to start dying in 3-10 years; if we do nothing, we risk leaving existing, currently healthy trees with permanent damage; that is an option, to accept risk of permanent damage and still have to remove when they die; any decision College makes is dependent on Council agreeing, so there is another authority

Tom M: every tree in college is listed so have to have permission to even trim, Council won’t allow trees to be cut down for aesthetic reasons; College won’t waste money on tree surgeons for fun; one is causing subsistence in a building which would cause a much bigger financial and practical issue

Sapphy: idea of permanent damage is surprising, lime trees are hardy, good at resprouting etc; to pre-emptively chop them down is doing more damage than leaving them

Emily: College is acting on advice of consultants who are experts, they wouldn’t say we should chop down trees for fun

FL: is there a report?

Lucas: once College have made decision, they will be very transparent & clear as to which trees will go and why

Emily: meeting soon as to which trees it will be; initial plan was 5 years, another plan would be only 2, needs exploring; once decided it will be communicated

Lucas: College will work with tree experts to work out minimum number of trees. Lime trees are hardy but they like to spread out widely, not good for them to be tightly constrained. We want to tell College whether we think they should take a controlled approach, or happy to be uncontrolled

Sapphy: transparency must happen, and must happen before a decision is made, College needs to have an ongoing discussion with the students rather than just decide and then justify it; students haven’t spoken to an expert, haven’t sat in meetings, have heard about aesthetic justification

Lucas: view that JCR took was that College should be very clear about motivation and plan before the trees go

Eliza: the Master raised the issue of timing, as if the trees are removed this can be done during the vacation but if they die they will need to be taken out immediately, which could cause disruption during exams as it would be very loud

Connor: capacity to get independent charity in to give opinion – conservation, habitat recovery etc

Lucas and Emily will ask

Tom M: Downing has got 450 trees

Sapphy: real shame because every tree has importance in College; College is geared towards caring about the environment; we could be doing more in environmental areas for other bits of College e.g. close-cut grass is bad; College could be doing a lot more; ironic that posted about Sarah Kennedy’s research on importance of wildflower meadows on Instagram but haven’t done anything about it; don’t like idea of College taking control, appreciate about during exams etc, but College is taking control and keeping everything close-cropped too much, don’t like dominion over environment, work with instead of against

Tom D: but trees that die could be worse for habitat destruction, if we decide then we can pick the ones whose removal will have a lesser environmental impact; random is worse or better, but if we have control we can mitigate risk; good to get charity opinion etc

Sapphy: are some going to have less impact on environment? Numbers?

Lucas: current plan is between 2 and 10, number is undecided

Sapphy: you can’t predict how many of the trees will die, can’t predict if they even will

Lucas: exactly, can’t predict, good to take steps now to remove problematic trees so remaining ones will be fine

Sapphy: there is a scenario where we cut down more trees than is needed and this should be avoided at all costs; it’s not protecting the trees to cut them down

Lucas: would you be happy with College working with tree experts to decide minimum number?

Sapphy: yes, wildlife trust etc or other environmental charity with a more unbiased background would be useful; info needs to be widely and transparently published, needs to be ongoing discussion, no decision should be made before dialogue with students; no reports have yet been published, all going on behind closed doors; people aren’t happy without proof

Tom M: the comments about aesthetics were made by only two particular fellows

Emily: transparency issue is being addressed; when the idea was first raised, the JCR was confused and outraged, then had a meeting and JCR got extra info from the Master which was very useful; College has now realised we want to be involved; next B&E Committee meeting will clarify, writing up actual report so people don’t have to go on word of mouth – that’s what we will then be able to share. Hadn’t written up anything before because plans hadn’t got very far

Lucas: College will not be deciding until mid to late Lent

Aaron: now isn’t a good time to be making that decision; no hard evidence either way yet, wait until we’ve seen a report; no point picking a random number and getting rid when we don’t know what’s going to happen in the long run

Lucas: agree, wasn’t planning on bringing this in but it’s circulated by word of mouth

Sapphy: College was going to make a decision and didn’t realise students would be upset? Seems like they’ve already decided and are just trying to justify

Emily: no, College hadn’t made a decision, just start of dialogue, were surprised that JCR were resistant to it

Sapphy: fact of them being surprised is uncomfortable

Emily: yes, that’s ultimately why we’re in the meetings, College values student input

Lucas: maybe drop motion and postpone until we have more info from College?

Aaron: as long as understanding that students aren’t happy to move on until more info

Connor: reports from tree experts available now? Can we have access?

Lucas: have access to one report but not the other, will ask College, will propose seeking more external opinions

How old are the trees?

Lucas: planted in the 90s, so about 30 years old

Andro: JCR shouldn’t agree to anything until College has been transparent

AOB – none