Malia Bouattia

Students should be banned from whooping, cheering clapping because it alienates deaf people, according to a UK National Union of Students vice president.

Durham University student Shelly Asquith proposed a motion urging these and other "unnecessary loud noises" at the recent NUS conference in Brighton.

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Asquith's motion also promised "consequences for those who ignore this requirement," according to The Telegraph.

The newspaper also reports that attendees at the conference were repeatedly reprimanded for excessive whooping and instead encouraged to shake their hands in the air – or use 'jazz hands' – to express their support for speakers.

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The full motion proposed: "To reinforce to all delegates the requirement for adhering to practices to ensure meetings/conferences are accessible to all, including;

a) Reduced cheering or unnecessary loud noises on conference floor, including whooping and clapping

b) Consequences for those who ignore this requirement"





At a session on 27 April, Estelle Hart, an NUS elections committee member told an audience: "No whooping, it does have a serious impact on some delegates ability to access conference."

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It is not the first time the NUS officials have voiced concern about the acts of clapping and whooping

During a 2015 event, NUS Women's Campaign sent a tweet saying: "Some delegates are requesting that we move to jazz hands rather than clapping, as it's triggering anxiety. Please be mindful!"

This was followed by another reading: "Whooping is fun for some, but can be super inaccessible for others, so please try not to whoop! Jazz hands work just as well."

The 2017 conference saw controversial NUS Malia Bouattia defeated by Shakira Martin, the current vice-president for further education.

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Bouattia was dogged by accusations of anti-Semitism throughout her tenure.

In an interview with The Guardian, Martin said the NUS had become "out of touch" and vowed to return it promised to return its efforts to supporting the needs of students.

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