Co-chairs' Termly Report

Co-Chairs' Report

When we stood to be co-chairs at the end of Trinity Term 2020, we were convinced that by our term life would predominantly have returned to normal, that we’d be opening term by drinking Beer Starmers and Jeremy Corgins and closing with the celebrated black tie John Smith Memorial dinner. How wrong we turned out to be. With zoom fatigue running high and with the country in another incredibly strict lockdown, we, following in the footsteps of previous co-chairs Connie, Ali, Matthew and Sophie, entered into the world of virtual events, socials and discussion events.

Although there may have been a devastating lack of pun-based cocktails, our term began as always with OULC’s famed Welcome Social, consisting of a variety of games and ending with a Q&A with our very own Anneliese Dodds (assisted most competently in her shadow chancellor duties by her children in the background). Following the welcome social, our term passed by in a flurry of Beer and Bickering discussion evenings and speaker events, on topics as diverse as trade unions and knife crime, and with speakers ranging from Tariq Ali to Migrants Organise. We were also lucky enough to work with other student societies, through our participation in the Three Party Debate and through collaborations with OULD and Student Action for Refugees. We hope that many of these events will be made available online soon.

Hilary term has been a learning experience for both of us and for OULC. We have experienced firsthand the consequences of standing up for what you believe in, and we have learnt the importance of communication and of taking time to think before acting. We have also learnt that there is absolutely no room for complacency within OULC, and it is to this end that we are currently working on updating the OULC constitution - a long and difficult process that we hope will bring the internal structure of OULC more in line with our values.

We began our term with high ambitions, but as we all know, time within the Oxford bubble, albeit a virtual bubble, does not move in the same way as it does outside of it, and term draws to an end before you’ve even had time to process first week. It’s fair to say that we have not been able to accomplish everything we set out to do, but we have given our all to our time as co-chairs of OULC and we are incredibly grateful to our committee for their work and effort as well as to our members for their involvement in the club. Thank you especially to Toni, Melanie, and Jade for the events that they organised throughout the term, and to Hannah for being so resolute in dealing with the abuse that OULC has suffered online. Thank you also to all those who participated in our logo competi-

tion and to Felix O’Mahony for his stunning winning design that has contributed invaluably to the process of modernising OULC’s branding and image.

After eleven years of Conservative rule our society appears more divided than ever, with the latest wave of Government Bills threatening the very basis of our democracy. It’s not enough to passively sit back and accept injustice as inevitable. We urge you to stand against inequality, unfairness and oppression, and to hold those in power to account in any way that you can, whether that be through protest, becoming involved with societies such as OULC or by voicing your thoughts in any way you see fit. We hope that you enjoy reading this term’s Look Left, and that you end it more informed and more inspired to action than when you began.

In solidarity,

Beth Nott and Sofia Cotterill

Co-chairs HT21

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