| Description | The earliest surviving minute book begins in 1949, though there are references to the work of the Guild Executive in minutes of Guild Council from the 1930s. Minutes discuss matters referred by the Union committee and other standing committees, as well as some issues referred by Guild Council. There is also some discussion of disciplinary matters for the period when the Executive committee met as a disciplinary committee.
There are no minutes for the period between June 1959 and October 1960, or for the period between February 1970 and September 1980. From 1980 onwards, minutes are written in informal note form. There are also records of the Executive weekend at which the President and other officers presented a report. Minutes from this period also contain reports of standing committees, budget submissions and applications for grants. Agendas are included from the 1980s, as are supporting papers, reports from seminars and other events organised by other universities on student welfare and associated issues which were attended by members of the Executive. In addition, there is some material documenting the consideration of motions to Guild Council. Copies of some minutes of the Executive Steering committee for 1987-1988 are included in the minutes listed at UB/GUILD/A/6/15 |
| Administrative History | The remit of the Guild Executive committee was set out in the revised Guild constitution in 1930. It was responsible to Guild Council for the day to day running of the Union buildings and facilities. It discussed the business of standing committees and also aimed to establish good relationships with other executives, universities and the university authorities at Birmingham. Executive committee was elected by Guild Council, and consisted of senior Guild officers, later called sabbatical officers, and the chairs of standing committees. All members, apart from non-portfolio officers, were responsible for a specific area of business relating to the standing committees. The Executive acted as the steering committee for Guild Council and in effect initiated Guild policy. By the early 1990s, the Executive Committee was made up of thirteen students elected by cross campus ballot which ran the Guild on a weekly basis and were responsible for running Guild campaigns. An Executive Steering committee was also in existence during the late 1980s, which co-ordinated Guild policy on behalf of the Executive. Minutes of this committee are described at UB/GUILD/A/7.
For the 1955-1956 academic session, a new Disciplinary Board for Executive was established as the first body of discipline within the Guild whereby the Executive met as a Disciplinary committee. Appeals could be made to the Union committee as the second body of discipline. Before this, the Union committee seems to have taken responsibility for discussion of disciplinary offences and punishments accorded. |