Motion for a Vote of No Confidence in Un Lersvidhaya asCompliance and Governance Officer

Proposed By: Lou Cook-Allen (JCR Welfare Officer, Interim-Student Trustee) and Henry Flack

(JCR Treasurer)

Seconded By: Humam Quader (Senior Man), Joseph Most (Vice-President), Mila Roth

(Secretary)

This JCR Notes:

The executive committee of the JCR is an elected body of student representatives, who work

collaboratively for the betterment of the JCR. Each exec officer is responsible for a certain

section of the JCR: i.e. the Welfare Officer is responsible for matters relating to student

well-being; the Sports and Societies Officer is responsible for overseeing the JCR sport clubs

and societies. However, while recognising each exec officer has individual responsibilities in the

JCR, the exec work together to ensure as a collective, they get the best for the members that

elected them.

Membership of the executive committee comes with a range of benefits, in return for fulfilling

officer expectations and responsibilities. For example, while members of the committee are able

to claim free attendance at Hatfield Day, Michaelmas Ball and Lion in Winter Ball, they are

required to assist with the set up of these events, regardless of their actual attendance at the

event. Additionally, committee members are to work collaboratively and as instructed by the

Senior Man, the Board of Trustees, the Executive Committee and JCR members.

As an independent charity, the JCR has additional risks. The main goal of the Compliance and

Governance Officer is to help mitigate this risk. Creating policies, ensuring we’re GDPR

compliant, and ensuring we’re compliant with the regulations set out by the Charity Commission,

are just some of the ways in which the CGO protects and helps the charity to continue to

develop. Additionally, the CGO acts as the secretary to the Board of Trustees. It is their

responsibility to support the board in ensuring the JCR is compliant with the rules and

regulations set out by the Charity Commission, HMRC and Durham University.

As one of the student trustees, the CGO has an additional responsibility to look after the

interests of the charity and its aims. At present, the strategic aim of the charity is to increase

engagement within the JCR; every action the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee take,

both as a body and their individual members, should be conscious of its impact on how all

Hatfield College undergraduate students interact with said decision.

This JCR Believes:

The JCR Executive Committee, as well as many ordinary members, have lost confidence in Un

Lersvidhaya.

Disregard for Standing Orders:

As the Compliance and Governance Officer, Ms Lersvidhaya is responsible for upholding the

standing orders and regulations set forth by our Executive Committee. However, it has become

evident that Ms Lersvidhaya repeatedly disregards these standing orders, delivering only on her

responsibility to attend Board of Trustee meetings. Her lack of attention to detail and failure to

oversee the compliance of executive activities has put the reputation and integrity of our Junior

Common Room at risk. This negligence has resulted in numerous instances where her

contributions to executive activities did not meet the required standards, potentially exposing the

JCR to legal and financial ramifications. Ms Lersvidhaya’s negligences include, but are not

limited to:

● Creating governing policy for the JCR.

● Ensuring the charity commission approves the sabbatical officer’s wages.

● Looking into sponsorship and investment opportunities for the charity reserves.

This not only undermines the effectiveness of our governing body, but also erodes the trust that

members of the executive committee and the wider JCR community place in her.

Despite attempting to reference standing orders in order to create issues and fractures within

the committee’s functions, Ms Lersvidhaya makes no attempts to research and understand a

range of aspects of her own. She has frequently shown a lack of understanding in key areas

such as the DSO framework, our independence, and the annual report; while ordinary members

may be unfamiliar with these terms, any competent CGO should be well aware of these

specifics.

Inability to Collaborate:

It has become increasingly clear that Ms Lersvidhaya's conduct and behaviour have strained

working relationships within the executive committee. Several executive officers have expressed

their discomfort in working alongside her due to her stubborn attitude and disregard for

teamwork. Indeed, Ms Lersvidhaya has admitted on numerous occasions her intentions to

ignore the pledges of the executive committee. This division hinders our ability to effectively

serve the interests of our JCR members.

Insular agenda

The work that has been completed for this role has not been completed to a standard consistent

with the length of time Ms Lersvidhaya has had to complete it. Since resuming responsibilities

following the summer break, Ms Lersvidhaya’s only concern has appeared to be the

advancement of her own personal agenda - implementing an academic outreach programme, in

conflict with the JCR’s appointed academic outreach officer. This concerns the executive

committee for a number of reasons: primarily that Ms Lersvidhaya has repeatedly failed to

uphold her position as CGO, and even acted contrary to its best interests. A parallel program of

academic outreach, conflicting with the official, JCR endorsed program, risks reducing

engagement and interaction from members. This clear conflict with the JCR’s strategic aims,

something Ms Lersvidhaya is required to uphold, was communicated with Ms Lersvidhaya on

countless occasions.

This JCR Resolves:

We are writing to propose a Motion for a Vote of No Confidence (VONC) in Un Lersvidhaya, who

currently holds the position of Compliance and Governance Officer within our Junior Common

Room. It is with a heavy heart that we bring forward this motion, but we believe it is necessary

due to serious concerns regarding her performance and conduct in her role. We resolve that the

only option is to remove Ms Lersvidhaya from her post immediately to prevent any further legal

and financial risk to the JCR, and allow for the Executive Committee to continue to work on

behalf of the members of the JCR to achieve what is best for its members