Societies were left feeling disappointed after problems with a new barcode sign-up system at the Activities Fair led to a fall in paid membership.
The Guild issued an apology for the problems caused by the new electronic system but thought the Fair on Streatham campus was a "huge success" because of the record number of sign-ups this year.
The Guild issued an apology for the problems caused by the new electronic system but thought the Fair on Streatham campus was a "huge success" because of the record number of sign-ups this year.
The Guild will hold an inquiry into the day's problems.
The barcode system, implemented for the first time this year, required students to receive a barcode 'sticker' from the stands of their chosen societies at the Fair on Sunday 2 October.
Students then had to present their barcodes at till points in either the Great Hall, the Northcott theatre or the Terrace in Devonshire House. After students had paid their sign-up fees and got their receipt, they could then return to the societies' stands and receive their membership card and any freebies included in the fee.
Students can still sign up to societies online and at till points in Devonshire House.
But overcrowding in the Great Hall and large queues at all of the till points meant many students were put off paying for membership on the day of the Fair, leading to a shortfall between the number of barcodes given away and the amount of paid-up members.
The committee of Debsoc, the debating society, wrote a letter of complaint about the inefficiency of the new system and the danger the shortfall in members posed to new or small societies. The letter was signed by 14 other society presidents and was to be published in the next edition of University newspaper, Exeposé.
The Guild issued a full apology at an emergency meeting held on Wednesday 5 October. They promised that societies with less than 25 students, the minimum number to start or maintain a society, would still be affiliated with the Guild for the next year as long as the letter would not be published in Exeposé.
The Guild will hold a review of problems caused by the barcode system to see how it can be improved for next year's Activities Fair.
Treasurer of Debsoc, Matt Hardwick, told X-Media Online what happened.
He said: "Debsoc's president sent a letter of complaint about the problems at the Fair to other society presidents with the intent to publish the letter in Exeposé. We had a terrific response with 14 out of 23 presidents signing the letter in agreement with our complaint.
"We then held an emergency meeting with the Guild on Wednesday morning and secured their promise that any small society with less than 25 members would still be part of the Guild. We also received the Guild's full apology and a promise that a full enquiry would be made into the issues of the new system. In return, we agreed that the letter would not be published in Exeposé".
James Fox, VP Participation and Campuses, thought that despite teething problems with the electronic system, the Fair had been successful.
He said: "Overall, I thought the day was a massive success and the atmosphere on campus was incredible. Obviously, with a new system, there will be some issues and we can only apologise for this. There will be a full review which all societies are encouraged to contribute to in order to ensure we make next year's event even better. Despite the issues, we saw a record-breaking levels of sign-ups which are constantly rising with online sign-ups and the till points in Devonshire House".
Many students used the online sign-up service on the Guild website which has led to a steady increase in members for all societies since the Activities Fair. University arts magazine, Razz My Berries, have received more than 50 members since Sunday.
Razz My Berries co-editor, Anna Holden, said: "At the end of the Fair, Razz had 75 members and five days later, we have 127. The day went really well for Razz but it definitely could have been organised better".
But while online customers may have avoided the queues, they missed out on freebies offered by societies at the Fair.
Laurence Morton, treasurer of literary society, Litsoc, commented: "The queueing time forced many members to resort to online sign-ups, which meant they were unable to pick up the free book we were giving out at the Fair."
Long queues and new systems were not the only problems faced on the day by societies. Both Litsoc and Exeter Creative Writing Society (ECWS) were placed in the Terrace despite other arts societies having stands in the Northcott theatre.
Joe Attard, vice-president of ECWS, said: "Our society was doubly affected, not just by the cumbersome electronic system - frustrating for both students and committees - but also by the fact we were placed in the Terrace and not with the other arts societies. As a result, ECWS did substantially worse this year."
What do you think?
The barcode system, implemented for the first time this year, required students to receive a barcode 'sticker' from the stands of their chosen societies at the Fair on Sunday 2 October.
Students then had to present their barcodes at till points in either the Great Hall, the Northcott theatre or the Terrace in Devonshire House. After students had paid their sign-up fees and got their receipt, they could then return to the societies' stands and receive their membership card and any freebies included in the fee.
Students can still sign up to societies online and at till points in Devonshire House.
But overcrowding in the Great Hall and large queues at all of the till points meant many students were put off paying for membership on the day of the Fair, leading to a shortfall between the number of barcodes given away and the amount of paid-up members.
The committee of Debsoc, the debating society, wrote a letter of complaint about the inefficiency of the new system and the danger the shortfall in members posed to new or small societies. The letter was signed by 14 other society presidents and was to be published in the next edition of University newspaper, Exeposé.
The Guild issued a full apology at an emergency meeting held on Wednesday 5 October. They promised that societies with less than 25 students, the minimum number to start or maintain a society, would still be affiliated with the Guild for the next year as long as the letter would not be published in Exeposé.
The Guild will hold a review of problems caused by the barcode system to see how it can be improved for next year's Activities Fair.
Treasurer of Debsoc, Matt Hardwick, told X-Media Online what happened.
He said: "Debsoc's president sent a letter of complaint about the problems at the Fair to other society presidents with the intent to publish the letter in Exeposé. We had a terrific response with 14 out of 23 presidents signing the letter in agreement with our complaint.
"We then held an emergency meeting with the Guild on Wednesday morning and secured their promise that any small society with less than 25 members would still be part of the Guild. We also received the Guild's full apology and a promise that a full enquiry would be made into the issues of the new system. In return, we agreed that the letter would not be published in Exeposé".
James Fox, VP Participation and Campuses, thought that despite teething problems with the electronic system, the Fair had been successful.
He said: "Overall, I thought the day was a massive success and the atmosphere on campus was incredible. Obviously, with a new system, there will be some issues and we can only apologise for this. There will be a full review which all societies are encouraged to contribute to in order to ensure we make next year's event even better. Despite the issues, we saw a record-breaking levels of sign-ups which are constantly rising with online sign-ups and the till points in Devonshire House".
Many students used the online sign-up service on the Guild website which has led to a steady increase in members for all societies since the Activities Fair. University arts magazine, Razz My Berries, have received more than 50 members since Sunday.
Razz My Berries co-editor, Anna Holden, said: "At the end of the Fair, Razz had 75 members and five days later, we have 127. The day went really well for Razz but it definitely could have been organised better".
But while online customers may have avoided the queues, they missed out on freebies offered by societies at the Fair.
Laurence Morton, treasurer of literary society, Litsoc, commented: "The queueing time forced many members to resort to online sign-ups, which meant they were unable to pick up the free book we were giving out at the Fair."
Long queues and new systems were not the only problems faced on the day by societies. Both Litsoc and Exeter Creative Writing Society (ECWS) were placed in the Terrace despite other arts societies having stands in the Northcott theatre.
Joe Attard, vice-president of ECWS, said: "Our society was doubly affected, not just by the cumbersome electronic system - frustrating for both students and committees - but also by the fact we were placed in the Terrace and not with the other arts societies. As a result, ECWS did substantially worse this year."
What do you think?
IB
No comments:
Post a Comment