Council rises up
An editorial on Council and letters
It was a good thing to see that Council decided to vote to have a clear opinion on something. Especially that people came to a decision and didn’t care what the sabbs thought and made up their own mind. This happened on not one but two occasions, which was refreshing. Perhaps it had something to do with the seating change, where it was a circle. I initially mocked it as “being like an A Level drama class”, but maybe having a select few sit at the front of the room does make people think they are above them.
I have made no secret of my opinions on the Translation Studies Unit, and wish them well in their fight. Hopefully they’ll get some clarity and will be kept on. I just hope that the Management Board aren’t too proud to reconsider their decision. It would be pretty childish to basically just stick it out due to not wanting to back down.
Hopefully the sabbs will all put forward the view of Council on their behalf in meetings, rather than their own. That is what they are there to do. It can be a tricky situation to be in, but hopefully they explain that this is the view of Council. Of course, they arefree to express personal opinions too, but should make sure they highlight what is their opinion and what is Council’s.
The medicines decision was also great. The reason to oppose it based on it being hard to implement in the current framework is valid, but a lot of things are hard to do in current frameworks. It would be good to see just a tad more idealism. Obviously being unrealistic and imagining you can do amazing things overnight won’t help, but having an ideal goal that you acknowledge that you want to slowly work towards is a good thing. Idealism, with a good dollop of pragmatism is the way forward. Have your ultimate ideal, and do everything to reach it. Don’t dismiss a goal as it seems unlikely. Embrace that it’s a tough challenge and that it is an aim that you know will take time and effort to reach.
Write to me to get a tenner
I was pretty happy with the response to the last call. We actually couldn’t publish one letter (due to space restrictions, but it will be in next week). All you need to do is give me your thought on something in College, something in the Union, Felix (what you like and don’t like; constructive criticism is extremely welcome!), how sticky the floors of TigerTiger are nowadays, anything. Then we will put all the ones we can fit into the paper, and the best one each week will get a crisp ten pound note (crispness not guaranteed). If you want to be anonymous, just let us know.
Why am I doing this? Well. I want to revive the letters section, and get people giving a quick opinion on a matter. Not everyone wants to write a long enough blurb to become a comment piece, and not everyone wants to make comments on the website. I know that you can, but letters (or, emails) are a great way of giving a short opinion that will be seen by all who glance at the Comment section that week, not just those that look at that one article online. It seemed like an oddly opportune time to do so as you can just get your phone out and email in straight away.
Nowadays, with the internet, it is easier than ever to make a snap reaction and proclaim it to the world. That’s why I want people to think over their opinion, word it carefully, and then send it in. Plus, it makes Felix a better paper if we know what sort of thing you are thinking about. The email to send them in to is:
