Gordon Brown at Conference 4
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Feature: IC Entrepreneurs Science Politics In depth: 6 5 Gordon Brown at conference 4 Th e student newspaper of Imperial College No. 1,357 • Th ursday • felix 28 September 2006 • felixonline.co.uk Sabbaticals to be sued? Andy Sykes As Mr Matthews stated in an e-mail Editor-in-chief to the President of Chinese Society, Emily Chow, and the treasurer, Wai Three sabbatical officers of the Un- Wong, this is “wholly unacceptable ion have been sent an official letter and against Union policy”. Mem- from a Hong Kong solicitors’ office bership to clubs can only be sold threatening legal action unless a to members or life members of the decision to suspend the Chinese Union, and should a student fail Society over alleged financial ir- to complete their course of study regularities is reversed. and forfeit membership of the Un- On Saturday September 23, as the ion, they cannot be members of sabbs were gearing up for officer any clubs or societies, rendering training out at Wye, they received multi-year memberships unfeasi- an e-mail from Wong & Co solicitors, ble. The evidence for this has come who are acting on behalf of Miss directly from society members con- Emily Chow, the current Chair of tacted by Mr Lai, several of whom Chinese Society. The letter was ad- have confirmed that they were sold dressed to the former Union Presi- multi-year memberships for £10. As dent, Sameena Misbahuddin, the none of this ‘extra’ money has been current President, John Collins, as banked into the Chinese Society’s well as Eric Lai (Deputy President, account, this raises the question of Clubs & Societies) and Jon Mat- what has happened to it. If this mon- thews (Deputy President, Finance ey has been deposited in an exter- & Services). The letter disputes nal bank account, the Society may the recent decision to suspend the be held responsible for withholding Chinese Society and deny them a funds, which may be construed as stall at Freshers’ Fair after various theft, and VAT fraud, as a result of financial irregularities regarding operating a second bank account to the sale of membership and the dis- take membership money on which appearance of money made from VAT would not have been paid. events came to light, calling it “en- This is not the first time the soci- tirely without merits, non-substanti- ety has run into trouble with their ated [sic] and accordingly invalid”. finances. At last year’s Freshers’ The deadline set by the solicitors Fair, it was found to be taking mem- for the reversal of this suspension bership money from prospective is today, five days from the sending members, in express violation of of the letter, leaving the sabbs only Union rules. Nearly £700 was con- three working days to reply. The let- fiscated from the society’s stall af- ter threatens that unless the deci- ter the breach was discovered. The sion is reversed, the solicitors will society has also been warned on “instruct [their] client’s legal agent previous occasions about the sell- in the UK to exhaust every possible ing of multi-year memberships. In legal means in redressing the un- addition, the society is currently in fairness and grievances including almost £1,900 in debt. but not limited to seeking injunctive Felix has obtained copies of e- relief…from a UK court”, as well as mails sent between the parties, and holding the sabbs responsible for a copy of the solicitors’ letter. Mr any legal costs or incidental losses Matthews and Mr Lai contacted that might be suffered by ICCS. Miss Chow and her treasurer via According to records available on e-mail at the start of August, when the Imperial College Union finance the irregularities came to light. As website, which lists all the budgets this took place during the summer and transactions of clubs and soci- vacation, Miss Chow requested eties, the Chinese Society banked that the issue be resolved using e- £500 in membership money from mail or over the telephone. Mr Mat- one hundred members, with mem- thews subsequently informed Miss bership costing £5. However, it has Chow by e-mail on August 7 that recently come to light that the Socie- Above (clockwise): Emily Chow, Chair of IC Chinese Society; Eric Lai, Deputy President (Clubs & ty has been selling multi-year mem- Societies); John Collins, Union President; John Matthews, Deputy President (Finance & Services). berships to its members for £10. Below: The two Facebook posts made by Miss Chow during her alleged stay at a spiritual retreat. Continued on page 2 2 felix Thursday 28 September 2006 NEWS [email protected] Chinese Society threatens Homophobia in Islamic Soc sabbs with injunction Two members of Islamic Society have been accused of posting Continued from page 1 partnership with the Hong Kong Society of Warwick University, and “violently homophobic” remarks on a Union forum any multi-year membership would others. Neither the OSC Chair nor be cancelled, and that the Society the Deputy President (Finance and to campaign, which is forbidden by could not trade at Freshers’ Fair. Services) knew anything about this the Union Constitution. When he He also requested a list of names event being held, and no reference made the posts to the forum, Mr and CID numbers of people who is made to it in the accounts of the Hassam, who now works for UBS, had bought multi-year member- ICCS. The tickets cost HK$200, was an Officer of the Union, holding ships, clarifying that he did not which is about £13. It is not clear how the positions of Vice President of blame Miss Chow and her treasur- the money was divided between the the IC Finance Society, and Public- er directly, as they were not on the participating University societies, ity Officer for Islamic Society. committee last year. A number of though no money has been paid John Collins, the Union Presi- other restrictions were also placed into the ICCS Union account. It is dent, has made clear that he does on the Society, in light of past trans- highly likely that, as the event was not hold Islamic Society respon- gressions, including enforcing on- held in Hong Kong, there has been sible for the comments of the two line voting for society elections in no opportunity for the members to members. He confirmed that the the coming year. Mr Matthews re- inform the Union of the takings. Society had been asked to remove iterated that the society must abide It is understood that Miss Chow the posts within a week; at the time by the current rules, such as having has contacted Vernon McClure, Ac- of going to press, the entire forum all events being approved by an ap- ademic Registrar, who acts as the had been deactivated. propriate officer of the Union, and Head of the Registry, asking him to Mr Hassam has made both an offi- a requirement that all income and represent her in this situation. As cial statement to Live!, and numer- expenditure be run through the Un- ICU’s disciplinary procedure has ous comments on the article itself. ion accounts. not yet been invoked over the al- His defence is that he was misinter- No reply was received from Miss leged financial irregularities on ei- A screengrab of one of the posts made by ‘Al Chemist’ preted, and that his communication Chow for a week, at which point Mr ther the previous committee or the skills were not sufficient to correct- Matthews contacted her again, on new committee, the College is not Andy Sykes expressed his distaste for the con- ly convey his opinions on the mat- August 15, to confirm receipt of the permitted to be involved. cept of homosexuality, inferring ter, stating: “I have realised in ret- previous email, and to reiterate the Miss Chow’s complaint seems to Several members of the Islamic So- that gay Muslims were not proper rospect that my individual thoughts request for a list of names of CID centre around a statement made ciety have been accused of homo- Muslims: “them and some other were incorrectly communicated on numbers of those who bought mul- in an e-mail by Mr Lai, which said: phobia and inciting violence against ‘Muslims’ are on my hitlist”. Within this thread, and I did post further ti-year memberships. Again, the “This is a very serious matter, homosexuals after posts made on a a few hours of the tip-off email, sev- along the thread that “batter” was request went unanswered. On Sep- which could lead to your degree forum hosted by the Union. eral of the comments had been ed- a much too strong word, I meant tember 11, having received no reply being withheld or yourselves being The chair of IQ, a society that ited, including those made by Haji, batter in terms of a verbal batter- from either of the two recipients, Mr removed from the College.” The so- aims to represent and support gay, who replaced the word “batter” in ing i.e. numerous discussions, not Lai and Mr Matthews took the deci- lictors’ letter comments on this, say- lesbian, bisexual and transgender his post with the less offensive “ver- physically hurting anyone. I would sion to suspend the Society’s ac- ing that Miss Chow and Miss Wong, students at the College, reported bally batter”. never condone unprovoked violent tivities for the duration of Freshers’ the treasurer of ICCS are seeking posts he’d discovered on the ISoc The Union has indicated it con- actions against anyone regardless Week, thus preventing them from advice on “whether or not such a forum in an email sent to the Sab- siders this a very serious matter, of sexual orientation, race or gen- having a stall at Freshers’ Fair and statement is defamatory”.