Women's Issues...

[Laura]

Having recently been elected to the SRC as Member for Women's Issues, I'm keen to begin canvassing opinion on what exactly people believe are women's issues in St Andrews-

I intend to look into the availability of attcak alarms and hopefully get a campaign up and running, to help with condom distribution, to speak to the police about safety issues and to talk to student support about what in their view are issues women face here-

But what do you think? What am I missing, and what are the issues that need representing to the SRC?

Post on here, or e-mail me on lkw2 if you have any ideas,

Thanks,
Laura.

[hr]

"What I hanker for, of course, is to be put at the beck and call of some very important hush-hush sort of man who needs to be driven very fast in a long-nosed powerful car to mysterious destinations...But either this type of man is dying out- which I should deplore- or else, which is more likely, he does his own driving."

[dasein dealer]

To be quite honest, the representation section of the Union website kind of sucks. I know we're in the middle of fixing it before anyone says that, but honestly, if I have a problem - be I a woman or not - there is so little practical information on what to do.

You mentioned attack alarms and until recently the website said, "St Andrews is a safe place..." so no wonder drunk girls walk home at three in the morning on those paths behind DRA.

Whatever it is you do, get more information out there. Information on what to do if you are attacked, who to call, where to go. Also, get information out there for the f***wits who don't think there are consequences for their actions.

[Laura]

Quoting dasein dealer from 15:42, 3rd Nov 2005

You mentioned attack alarms and until recently the website said, "St Andrews is a safe place..." so no wonder drunk girls walk home at three in the morning on those paths behind DRA.

The reason it doesn't say "St Andrews is a safe place" anymore is because I went to see the DoR before I was even elected, and said it was inappropriate. I know exactly what you mean, I agree with you entirely, and I plan to do as much as I can to rectify this attitude.

Whatever it is you do, get more information out there. Information on what to do if you are attacked, who to call, where to go. Also, get information out there for the f***wits who don't think there are consequences for their actions.

Thanks so much- I really do plan to get as much info out there as I can and to chase the university up on a booklet they mentioned was being produced on the issue of women's safety. I also think it would be great to add to the success of the Spiked/Condom campaigns with one for attack alarms.


[hr]

"What I hanker for, of course, is to be put at the beck and call of some very important hush-hush sort of man who needs to be driven very fast in a long-nosed powerful car to mysterious destinations...But either this type of man is dying out- which I should deplore- or else, which is more likely, he does his own driving."

[Colin]

Quoting Laura from 18:32, 3rd Nov 2005
the Spiked/Condom campaigns

Spiked Condoms? Now that can't be a good idea.

[Sid]

Lack of straight men is something I have issues with everyday.

[Duggeh]

theres loads of us, just that we're all fat, ugly, smelly and are obnoxious people.

[hr]

IMAGE:www.macintyre42.plus.com/images/tb2-100.jpg
Duggeh: Master Of Ceremonies
[s]http://www.macintyre42.plus.com[/s]

[Cain]

Quoting Duggeh from 20:28, 3rd Nov 2005
theres loads of us, just that we're all fat, ugly, smelly and are obnoxious people.

or live far away

[hr]

I hold an element of surprise

[terry towelling]

Or are in a relationship

[ezra]

or don't believe in sex before marriage

[Dave the Explosive Newt]

Or we meet amazing women from day to day then cry ourselves to sleep at night because we don't have the courage to ask them out.

Meanwhile, back on topic...
While I'm not a woman (no, really), I think it's really important to publicise the sexual health clinic - it seems to me that almost no-one knows about it yet it performs a vital service. I know Andrew Killen's wanting to act on this too, so you could work with him.


[hr]

Will Watson - half man, half beast. All awesome.

[Mr Tickle]

Quoting Laura from 18:32, 3rd Nov 2005

The reason it doesn't say "St Andrews is a safe place" anymore is because I went to see the DoR before I was even elected, and said it was inappropriate. I know exactly what you mean, I agree with you entirely, and I plan to do as much as I can to rectify this attitude.

Ummm it is a safe place... At least relative to most of the rest of the world.

[hr]

Are you tickly? if you are, be afraid, be very afraid.

[Sid]

Quoting ezra from 13:03, 4th Nov 2005
or don't believe in sex before marriage

Who said anything about sex? Doesn't companionship come into it as well?

[Ben Reilly]

Quoting dasein dealer from 15:42, 3rd Nov 2005
To be quite honest, the representation section of the Union website kind of sucks. I know we're in the middle of fixing it before anyone says that, but honestly, if I have a problem - be I a woman or not - there is so little practical information on what to do.

You mentioned attack alarms and until recently the website said, "St Andrews is a safe place..." so no wonder drunk girls walk home at three in the morning on those paths behind DRA.

Whatever it is you do, get more information out there. Information on what to do if you are attacked, who to call, where to go. Also, get information out there for the f***wits who don't think there are consequences for their actions.

You are right. It does suck.

But I need to know what people want on there.

I organised a meeting to talk about it, inviting all of the SRC, sending out a linkup and posting about it on here.

Not a single person turned up.


I'd love the website to be better, but we have to know what people want. One person who could not make the meeting emailed me their concerns, and we're taking care of those at the moment.

For everybody else- please help! Get in touch!

[hr]

University of St Andrews Clothing - http://www.standrewsclothing.com

[Dave the Explosive Newt]

Quoting Ben Reilly from 17:42, 4th Nov 2005
You are right. It does suck.

As I posted on the other board:

I would like to see a section for each officer showing what they are currently doing. (and I mean what actions they are taking on issues, not just a flim-flammy statement of their 'interests').

Also, as this thread illustrates, a current issues page would be useful - with areas of concern to people, what action is being taken currently and what people can do themselves. And, as the multiplicity of threads appearing on the sinner over the last few days show, an easy form where we can (possibly anonymously) report issues of concern to us.

However, I don't think you can lay the blame for the website on us not taking a great interest: to my mind, it's the job of our reps to tell us what they're doing and to know what issues need getting across to the student populus. I'd hope that any right-thinking member of the SRC would be wanting similar things to me.


(as an aside, I'm impressed that this thread has gone off topic in two different ways already)

[hr]

Will Watson - half man, half beast. All awesome.

[Ben Reilly]

One of the reasons all of these threads have proliferated is that on the weekend following the elections, I emailed each of those who had just been elected asking them to each prepare a verbal report to be delivered at the first meeting of the SRC.


Edit: I should probably clarify. What I mean by this is that I'm hoping that such reports can be turned into something more permanent. What would people think to an SRC blog?

[Mr Comedy]

Quoting Ben Reilly from 18:07, 4th Nov 2005
One of the reasons all of these threads have proliferated is that on the weekend following the elections, I emailed each of those who had just been elected asking them to each prepare a verbal report to be delivered at the first meeting of the SRC.


Edit: I should probably clarify. What I mean by this is that I'm hoping that such reports can be turned into something more permanent. What would people think to an SRC blog?

I think it would have a lower readership than my blog.

Didn't I put some stuff on that website with regards to representation?
Where did it go?

[The chap]

The reality is we have a pretty safe town, so don't go scaremongering too much, make sure you keep a balance...taking the "safe" bit off the website is a bit much, old girl. Yes, things happen, they do all over the world, but to remove a reassuring message (for students, prospective students and parents) from a website because of the few incidents that make up our very, very low crime rate is going too far.
Remember what Beardy said..."If you deliver a message that seems too strong in too strong a manner then no-one will listen."

[Laura]

Quoting the chap from 20:19, 4th Nov 2005
The reality is we have a pretty safe town, so don't go scaremongering too much, make sure you keep a balance...taking the "safe" bit off the website is a bit much, old girl. Yes, things happen, they do all over the world, but to remove a reassuring message (for students, prospective students and parents) from a website because of the few incidents that make up our very, very low crime rate is going too far.
Remember what Beardy said..."If you deliver a message that seems too strong in too strong a manner then no-one will listen."

Hmm, I have to disagree, given that when I sat on the attack alarm stall a lot of women wouldn't take them because they said it was "a safe place". Also, we have to remember that just because the reported crime rate is low doesn't mean to say things don't happen, and they don't always happen when people are walking home alone at the hands of people they don't know. There can never be anything wrong with raising awareness of personal safety issues- it's not as if I am insinuating everyone is about to be attacked. That would be counterproductive- as would suggesting it's an entirely "safe place."

[hr]

"What I hanker for, of course, is to be put at the beck and call of some very important hush-hush sort of man who needs to be driven very fast in a long-nosed powerful car to mysterious destinations...But either this type of man is dying out- which I should deplore- or else, which is more likely, he does his own driving."

[Al]

St Andrews is - relatively - a safe place. There's nothing wrong with trying to make it safer though.

[Bitterandtwisted]

St Andrews is among the safest places I've ever lived. And I've lived places that were 30 miles from the nearest supermarket.

Over four years without being attacked? Pretty good going.

[hr]

When you wish upon a falling star, your dreams will come true. Unless it's really a meteorite hurtling towards the Earth which will destroy all life. Then you're pretty much fucked no matter what you wished for. Unless it's death by meteorite.