Union Council vote to keep Jay Appleyard in his role

Union officer Jay Appleyard will remain in his post next year, it has been decided.

The decision was made during tonight’s Union Council Meeting after a proposal was made suggesting Appleyard was not fit to represent students.

The proposal was defeated during this years final meeting of Union Council after the two-thirds majority was not reached.

It was conducted by secret ballot. The results of the vote saw 14 members vote for, 14 vote against and 15 abstain.

One of the photos in question

The proposal topped the bill at the council meeting and created a heated debate amongst members as the opposing sides clashed on whether or not he was fit to hold the role for the coming year and the result was applauded by attendees of the meeting.

The proposal aimed to persuade members of the council to vote the proposal through by suggesting that he should not be in a role “where he is responsible for student happiness.”

It continued by claiming that “many people don’t understand it is offensive” and is clear evidence that the “mentality of minstrel show has not disappeared.”

The speech, made by Naima Fowlis, also suggested that current SU President Dan Flatt had Jay should be be allowed to remain in his role because he had successfully been elected.

The counter-argument was put forward by Jay himself who reiterated that his actions “were all in the past and were never intended to cause offence”.

He said: “Since that time, I’ve grown as a person and been to university. I’ve learned a lot from how strongly people have reacted.”

Part of the manifesto Jay was elected on

“My actions were made public days before the vote, but people still believed I was an upstanding individual and felt I was the most appropriate candidate for the election, this is clearly evidenced by my success in the election.”

Kyfer Stewart, newly elected to the role of Sports President, stood up and defended Jay minutes before Union Council voted, stating that: “nothing new has come to light since the election was carried out. The student body chose this candidate to represent them, you [Union Council] do not have the right to remove him from his role.”