St Catz JCR

09/03/2023

Still have stash left (joggers and quarter zips)- if you haven’t claimed please organize to collect before end of term as I cannot store it over the vac

26/10/2022

Stash site closes next Tuesday… 1 more week to get orders in

18/10/2022

The new Catz stash designs are ready!!!!

The final designs are the burgundy Catz 1/4 zip, Sherpa black 1/4 zip and black joggers

The prices:
Black Sherpa £40
Joggers £30
Q-zip burgundy fleece £36

Size guide for joggers: https://info.stashcompany.co.uk/joggers

Sweatshirts come in sizes xs to xxl

The website will open tomorrow and will be open for 2 weeks. Orders take 6-8 weeks.

The link:

https://www.stashcompany.co.uk/collections/st-catz

Bespoke University Stash Providers - Custom Clothing for Clubs, Societies and Organisations - Quarter Zips, Puffer Jackets and much more.

13/10/2022

Don't forget to pick up your Bridge tickets for the white lies unofficial entz tonight

Link to catz entz…. https://linktr.ee/catz.entzagram

Alsooo follow generally for updates re. Entz and unofficial Entz this year!!

Linktree. Make your link do more.

01/03/2022

Public Statement from St Catherine’s College JCR, 1st March 2022

St Catherine’s College JCR condemns President Vladimir Putin’s decision to authorise an invasion of Ukraine. We recognise the sovereignty of Ukraine as a nation and stand in solidarity.

We condemn the inaction of the UK government and their choice to not fully waive visa requirements for Ukrainians in light of the crisis. There are estimated to be 18,000 Ukrainian citizens in the UK as of last year, and the Eastern European diaspora are an important part of the population in both Oxford and the rest of the country.

We also stand in solidarity with Russian staff and students, whom we recognise are not responsible for the crisis at hand and may be experiencing fear of ostracization and discrimination.

Annie Porter, JCR President

Here is a link to the Oxford in Support of Ukraine Fundraiser:

Help S Mills raise money to support The British Red Cross Society

05/10/2021

14/02/2021

St Catherine’s College JCR Public Statement, 14th February 2021:

St Catherine’s College JCR strongly condemns the event that St Peter’s College hosted with Ken Loach on Monday 8th February and the subsequent antisemitic abuse experienced by Jewish students. This event went ahead, despite several of Loach’s past comments being in breach of the IHRA definition of antisemitism (adopted by the University of Oxford in December 2020). When Jewish students at St Peter’s raised these concerns prior to the event, the Master of the College, Professor Judith Buchanan, not only downplayed the severity of Loach’s comments, but also insensitively placed the emotional burden of explaining his antisemitism on those students. The Oxford Jewish Society’s statement has subsequently received extremely antisemitic and abusive comments on their social media channels. Furthermore, the apology later made by Professor Buchanan to St Peter’s students via email does not adequately recognise the wider repercussions that the utterly inappropriate handling of this situation on the part of the college had on the Oxford community as a whole.

On Sunday 14th February, Catz JCR unanimously passed a motion to unequivocally condemn antisemitism in all its forms and to stand in solidarity with the Jewish students both affected by these events and in the face of endemic antisemitism more broadly. We wholeheartedly support the response of St Peter’s JCR, echoing its boycott of any future Oxford events involving Loach and its belief that “a free and open academic community is mutually exclusive with the platforming of individuals whose bigoted views cause active harm to others on account of their protected characteristics”.

To maintain a safe environment for all students, we stand by our responsibility to challenge all forms of prejudice and discrimination, and to offer our full support to the affected students. Therefore, we will be introducing and organising free antisemitism awareness training, provided by the Union of Jewish Students, and sharing welfare resources specifically related to antisemitism, in order to reaffirm the commitment of Catz JCR to actively uphold a zero-tolerance policy against antisemitism and the minimisation or denial of its existence.

Lydia Ciaccio
JCR President

12/06/2020

St Catherine’s College JCR Public Statement, 12th June 2020:

During Christ Church JCR’s election hustings, a racist speech was made by a candidate for the ‘Cake Rep’ committee position. The candidate ‘joked’ that there was a link between the recent murder of George Floyd and ‘flour shortage’. This speech trivialised and mocked an instance of racially motivated police brutality and the legitimate global outrage and protests that followed. It was handled by the Returning Officer in an incredibly dismissive fashion: when Melanie Onovo, a black member of the JCR, attempted to challenge the candidate, she was muted. The RO refused to take any immediate questions regarding the incident and deemed it ‘not appropriate to use hustings to make political points’. It is the duty of every member of our University and society to confront racism whenever and wherever it arises, there are no conversations or events which are exempt from this. When contacted by the Junior Censor, Ms. Onovo’s ‘rationale’ for speaking out was questioned, with concerns over her welfare side-lined. The Censors prioritised diminishing the gravity of the situation to avoid losing face over taking decisive action to tackle the silencing and gaslighting of Ms. Onovo. This showed a worrying lack of concern for student welfare. St. Catherine’s College stands in solidarity with her against the abhorrent way in which she was treated. Given the suffering she has undergone during and in the wake of this incident, a fundraiser organised by a Catz JCR member to support Ms. Onovo is linked below.

On Sunday the 7th of June, St Catherine’s JCR unanimously passed a motion to condemn the unacceptable handling of the incident by the Christ Church JCR President, the Committee members who were negligent, and the Censors. All JCR’s have significant influence and thus a duty to call out racist incidents, as and when we see them, show solidarity with the affected individuals and prevent the same mistakes from being made in future. We recognise that Christ Church have issued an “unwavering commitment to change” and have implemented internal reform. However, this falls short of the unreserved apologies we demand and it is yet to be seen whether the reforms are sufficient given the possible irreparable harm to the Black members of the JCR. It must simultaneously be acknowledged that the urgent reform that is required, of course, does not stop at Christ Church JCR. A recent open letter sent to all JCRs stressed the ubiquity of racism, and the insufficient institutional safeguards across all Colleges, and we absolutely recognise that Catz is not exempt from this. In response to this open letter, Catz JCR has passed constitutional reforms to mandate the chairs of all Open Meetings to call out instances of harassment and remove members who engage in such behaviour from Meetings. A fund has also been set up, supported by the JCR and the College, to stock our library with literature on race-related issues and/or written by BAME authors via recommendations collated from the student body. We recognise that these measures are not sufficient, they are merely part of the introspection and action required to confront racism in all its forms. The incident at Christ Church should have and has compelled all JCRs to take immediate action, but this will not be limited to the current moment.

The response by Christ Church thus far has failed to sufficiently address the college’s irresponsible handling of the situation. St Catherine’s College JCR refuses to allow these reprehensible actions to be ignored or excused. As a JCR we believe it is our duty to show solidarity with Ms. Onovo and the black student body in Oxford as a whole.

To this end, St Catherine’s College JCR demands:
- An unconditional apology from the Christ Church JCR President Committee for their actions;
- A public apology from the Christ Church Junior and Senior Censors for their efforts to vilify Ms Onovo whose welfare was neglected (and therefore their failure to acknowledge their duty of care to that student);
And refuses to collaborate on any project with Christ Church JCR until these demands are met.

Thomas McKeown
JCR President

https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-for-melanie-onovo?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1&fbclid=IwAR2atWWSzAyGBuU5bcRgvgI3WTZe6U_N2w41INriL2f5M-1vR7-4mFoczkE

02/06/2020

St. Catherine's College JCR Public Statement, 2nd June 2020:

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, St. Catherine’s College JCR feels compelled to reaffirm our absolute opposition to systemic racism of any kind. As uncomfortable as it may be for some to stand up and use their platform to urge others to combat inequality, it is necessary for institutions which wield power to use it in order to take action against racial injustice, irrespective of the demographics which make up those institutions. George Floyd’s murder is one of an all-too-long list of unjust deaths at the hands of police officers in the United States. Even in 2020, it is more clear than ever that inherent biases exist within a policing system who, on the whole, treat ethnic minorities with an unacceptable level of suspicion and exercise an unacceptable level of force, as well as within a judicial system who seek to protect perpetrators as far as they possibly can. It’s important not to forget that this disgusting inequality is also prevalent in the UK, with the Independent Office for Police Conduct currently investigating six separate allegations of excessive police force on black men in the Midlands; one allegation concerns an officer who has already recently been suspended after committing physical violence against a 15-year-old boy. Just like in the US, this example is merely one in a long list of abhorrent injustices, and it’s crucial for all organisations with any degree of power to publicly appeal for this injustice to be brought to an end. For far too long, powerful institutions have systematically committed disgusting crimes against minority demographics and have then sought to blame those same marginalised groups for their own suffering, with little to no accountability being placed on the shoulders of those actually responsible. The officer who killed George Floyd was charged with third-degree murder, the punishment for which being either a fine or a maximum of 25 years imprisonment. The meaning of this sentencing – that the officer acted without intention to kill and merely chose to commit an “eminently dangerous act” – is one which is yet again symptomatic of the judicial system’s rampant protection of oppressors and erasure of the horrific suffering of the oppressed. George Floyd was unresponsive for almost three minutes before the officer then kneeled on his neck for almost 9 minutes. 25 years of imprisonment is a mere slap on the wrist for the crime which was committed.

There is naturally an inherent responsibility to make people aware of abuses of power against black people which sadly continue to plague modern society, but there comes a point where simply raising awareness doesn’t go far enough. Our words of support and solidarity alone may not enact systemic change, but as a JCR we recognise the importance of directly assisting those in need, even if we’re unable to directly give funds to other registered charities according to our constitution as it stands. We would like to echo Oxford ACS and do what we’re able to in encouraging our JCR members as well as others to sign the following petitions or to donate to the following causes, only if that is financially possible:

The Petition for Justice:
https://www.change.org/p/mayor-jacob-frey-justice-for-george-floyd
The page to Donate to the Official George Floyd Memorial Fund:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
The petition to raise the degree of charge to first degree murder:
https://www.change.org/p/minneapolis-district-attorney-raise-the-degree

Thomas McKeown
JCR President, St. Catherine’s College Oxford

-------------------

FURTHER RESOURCES:
As well as supporting the fundraisers and petitions put forward by the Oxford ACS, we have compiled this document of further links that we strongly encourage our JCR members to read through. Although unable to directly donate, the JCR is allowed to help advertise and sponsor fundraisers run by its members, so do get in touch if you’re running one yourself. Please donate if you can, but if that is not possible for you financially, below are a number of petitions and resources that can also be accessed free of charge.

U.S. Charities/Fundraisers

• Minnesota Freedom Fund
Pay criminal bail and immigration bonds for those who have been arrested while police brutality
Currently experiencing a surge in donations but on website, links to other charities
https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/

• National Lawyers Guild Fundraiser
Provide legal support to advance Human and Civil Rights and currently working alongside the Minnesota Freedom Fund and other charities to provide essential support to protesters across America
https://www.facebook.com/donate/1625263847640171/

• National Bail Out Fund
Bail out community members, provide life-changing supportive services and resource groups, and during the current pandemic, focus on bailing out black mothers and caregivers
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/freeblackmamas2020

• Justice for Ahmoud Arbery fundraiser
Whilst out jogging in Georgia, Ahmoud Arbery was fatally shot by Gregory and Travis McMichael
This fundraiser aims to provide Ahmoud’s mother and his immediate family with financial support and assist them in their struggle for justice
https://www.gofundme.com/f/i-run-with-maud

• Black Visions Collective
Use healing and transformative justice principles to build movements from the ground up in Minnesota
https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/

• Reclaim the Block
Advocate for and invest in community-led safety initiatives in Minneapolis area
https://linktr.ee/reclaimtheblock

• Louisville Community Bail Fund
Pay cash bails, provide post-release support and work on preventative measures for those targeted by law enforcement in Louisville
https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/louisville-community-bail-fund/

• Brooklyn Community Bail Fund
Like above, challenges the racism, inequality, and injustice of the US criminal legal system and immigration and deportation regime
https://brooklynbailfund.org/

• Campaign Zero
Uses research-based policy solutions to end police brutality in America
https://www.joincampaignzero.org/

• Color of Change
Largest US online racial justice organisation, leading campaigns that challenge injustice, hold leaders accountable and advance solutions
https://colorofchange.org/

• Black Votes Matter
Campaign for and protect black voting rights, policy advocacy and organisational development
https://www.blackvotersmatterfund.org/

U.K. Charities/Fundraisers

• Fundraiser to support Belly Mujinga’s family
Belly Mujinga died of COVID-19 after being spat at by a man who claimed he had the virus at Victoria Station in March
Despite the British Transport Police closing the case, this fundraiser is raising money for her funeral and to support her family, particularly her young daughter
https://www.gofundme.com/f/rip-belly-mujinga

• Runnymede Trust
The leading UK race equality think tank, challenging race inequality through research, network building, leading debate, and policy engagement
https://www.runnymedetrust.org/

• Black Lives Matter UK
The UK chapter of a global organisation, working to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities
https://www.facebook.com/BLMUK/

• The United Friends and Families Campaign
A coalition of those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody, which supports others in similar situations
https://uffcampaign.org/

• London Campaign Against Police and State Violence
A community organisation fighting against police and state brutality in South London and beyond
https://twitter.com/LCAPSV

• Charity So White
Tackle institutional racism in the charity sector
https://charitysowhite.org/

Petitions

• Justice for Breonna Taylor
In Louisville, police officers carried out an illegal, unannounced drug raid on Breonna Taylor’s home, where they fired 22 shots, shooting Breonna 8 times and killing her
The petition is campaigning to file charges, pay damages to her family, appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the police department and get justice for Breonna
https://www.change.org/p/andy-beshear-justice-for-breonna-taylor

• Justice for Tony McDade
Tony McDale was a transgender black man who was killed by police in Tallahassee
https://www.change.org/p/black-lives-matter-activists-justice-for-tony-mcdade

• More here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-0KC83vYfVQ-2freQveH43PWxuab2uWDEGolzrNoIks/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR0PNgV9w5PQZvTmEDY9BPGsDtYSnrhD9u7SQgnEvUYNCDWD5c5jlfBO-Fk

Books

- ‘Me and White Supremacy’ by Layla F. Saad
- ‘White Fragility’ by Robin DiAngelo
- ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race’ by Reni Eddo-Lodge
- ‘Natives’ by Akala
- ‘Black and British’ by David Olusoga and ‘Brit-ish’ by Afua Hirsch (particularly for accounts and history of racism in Britain)
- ‘Rhodes Must Fall’ by the RMF Oxford activists (a great collection of essays on how institutionalised racism was constructed and persists in universities)

Social Media Accounts

- The above authors
- .cargle (Instagram) and (Twitter)
- (Instagram and Twitter)
- (Instagram and Twitter)
- (Instagram)

Online Resources

- Free Yale course on African American History: From Emancipation to Present (https://oyc.yale.edu/african-american-studies/afam-162)
- galdem (magazine run by women and non-binary people of colour: https://gal-dem.com/)
- More articles to read, videos and films to watch, podcasts to listen to and organisations to follow: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/mobilebasic

27/05/2020

CATZ STUDENTS!!!

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Zero Gravity is a free online platform which connects state school students with university mentors to win offers at Oxbridge and Russell Group universities.

06/03/2020