Congregation Meeting, 10 March 2020

A debate and a vote on a resolution in relation to the phasing-out of the graduate application fee took place at the Congregation meeting on 10 March.

Further details about the meeting and the resolution can be found at page 316, Gazette No. 5269 on 5 March 2020. For the list of signatories to the resolution see page 266, Gazette No. 5267, 20 February 2020.

Vote on the resolution

The text of the resolution is: ‘To commit the University to the abolition of the graduate application fee in its entirety by the Academic Year 2024-25 and to prevent further fee increases in the meantime.’

The result of the vote at the meeting was 50 votes in favour, 100 votes against, meaning that the resolution was rejected (see p344, Gazette No 5271, 19 March 2020). However, since more than 50 members of Congregation requisitioned a postal vote on the resolution, the rejection of the resolution in Congregation on 10 March was not confirmed, and a postal vote took place.

Transcript

A transcript of the meeting was published as a supplement to Gazette No. 5271, 19 March 2020.

Postal vote

Voting papers were dispatched on 19 March (and electronic papers were made available from 20 March). The deadline for the return of papers was noon on Friday, 3 April. In light of the COVID-19 situation, the count of the votes could not take place immediately and all returned papers were securely stored until the count was able to take place. Details of the postal vote arrangements can be found at page 356, Gazette No. 5272, 26 March 2020.

The results of the postal vote are as follows: For: 419; Against: 380. The result rejects the outcome of the vote at the Congregation meeting on 10 March. The resolution is accordingly carried (see p3, Gazette No. 5286, 24 September 2020).