Fall from grace (From York Press)

Fall from grace

10:56am Saturday 9th February 2008 in News By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter

SHE was responsible for the welfare of thousands of students and stood for the Labour Party at the last local elections - now Grace Fletcher-Hackworth has been voted out of her student union job after a drunken fracas.

Ms Fletcher-Hackwood resigned from her University of York post after a motion of no-confidence.

Student chief forced to quit

AN OFFICIAL responsible for the welfare of thousands of York students has lost her job, following a drunken incident in which she struck a male student.

Grace Fletcher-Hackwood was forced to resign as York University Students' Union's academic and welfare officer after losing a motion of no-confidence by just eight votes on an unprecedented turnout of 1,440.

Ms Fletcher-Hackwood, who stood for Labour at Heslington during last year's City of York Council elections - when her name was Grace Fletcher-Hall - is said to be the first sabbatical officer ever to lose such a no-confidence vote at the union.

In last May's election, she polled 251 votes - 22 per cent of the total cast - in the Heslington ward.

Students' Union president Anne-Marie Canning said she was worried because the decision could leave the organisation without an academic and welfare officer until July.

"However, we're confident that we can make sure that students don't lose out - it's just going to mean more pressure on union officers and staff."

A union spokesman said sabbatical officers could invoke an appeals process, involving an Extraordinary General Meeting being called to re-debate the issue. Ms Fletcher-Hackwood said she had not yet decided whether to appeal.

She said: "I'm grateful for the amount of support I've had."

She said the incident had happened after she had drunk "more than she ever intended drinking again."

She stressed that the student whom she had hit was not hurt, and nor had that been her intention.

"What we're talking about is a strapping football player laughing while an inebriated, five-foot, seven- stone weakling landed him a feeble tap on the ear." She said her behaviour had been "inappropriate" and she wished to apologise.

Reports in the student newspaper, The Yorker, said that Dan Taylor, the History and Politics student who was hit by Ms Fletcher-Hackwood and who proposed the motion, had said he was "delighted" by the decision, saying: "Students have made the correct decision."

He is said to have used Facebook discussions, text messages and vocal criticism to rally support for his motion.

He had told a heated union meeting that the officer's "entire reputation" had been tarnished by what had happened, and that this undeniably affected her ability to carry out her mandate to students.

A university spokesman said the incident involved someone who was an elected officer of the Students' Union, with no formal relationship with the university, and so it was a matter for the union to resolve. "The university is, however, concerned by any suggestion of unacceptable behaviour on campus."

Coun David Scott, leader of the Labour group on City of York Council, said he was unable to comment at this stage on the matter, of which he had previously been unaware.

Coun Scott added: "This is a personal matter for Grace and not the Labour Party, as she was not a councillor."