By Will White, News Investigations Editor
The Bristol Students' Union hosted their Annual Members meeting on Tuesday night (4 February), where course and school representatives, alongside concerned students, passed all motions presented to them with little to no resistance.
Voting took place on motions including - among others - the renewal of Fossil Free Careers, blocking SU affiliation with fossil fuel industries, the implementation of an in-house guarantor scheme for low income and vulnerable renters, and the implementation of recycling resources for soft and flexible plastics across campus spaces.
Student Council Chair, Louis Anscombe, called it the 'largest democratic event of the Student Union.'
The hot-button issue of the night came near the end of proceedings, when student Agnes Sales, Bristol co-ordinator for international group 'Plant Based Universities' proposed a motion to 'transition to sustainable and affordable catering as a student's union by expanding plant based options.'
PBU's motion was the only policy that was debated all evening, with several students moving to argue against the motion and several more moving to defend it, under a new system of debate put in place by Anscombe.
In a confusing turn, one voter moved to delay the motion until the motion was further understood by the voting body.
The motion was ultimately passed by eye, with only a handful voting against.
Many PBU supporters had shown up to the event.
'I'm really glad that this has passed,' said Sales. 'A lot of us have really committed the last month to prepare for this motion.'
Speaking on criticism from those against the motion, Sales that she understood people's concerns.
'I think that people are very often afraid of the ideas that we are presenting,' said Sales. 'We are always open to talk to people. We want to work with people. I think it's valid that people have concerns and we want to address them.'
PBU celebrated the victory in a press release on their website, which drew some concern from the Student's Union for the suggestion that it marked a move to a 100% plant based menu.
In a statement released to Epigram, the SU said:
'At our Annual Members Meeting (AMM) on Tuesday students voted for the motion for ‘Bristol SU to support the transition to sustainable and affordable catering by expanding plant-based options’. This is not a move to a 100% plant-based university, but the SU is committed to lobbying and actioning the steps outlined in the motion such as improving plant-based pre-packaged food in Source Cafes.
This has been a long-standing issue for students, and Bristol SU is pleased to support this campaign as part of our commitment to sustainability and tackling the climate crisis.'
Despite a slow start, Anscombe said that he was happy with how the event and his new system were received.
'It went very well in my opinion,' said Anscombe. 'The whole staff are so supportive and they're so behind you. They helped me change these things [...] I think it went very well considering it's the first time we made all of this happen.'
Anscombe said he would encourage more students to get involved in student council.
'I want to facilitate the debate culture within the university,' said Anscombe. 'I think if you start at the student union, when you grow up, you will realise that there is common ground everywhere.'
A full list of the motions for the 2025 AMM can be found here.
The next big event for the SU will take place later this month, with the end of SU Officer nominations on 20th February.
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