Fresher’s Week 2013 culminated today on Sunday in the Activities and Volunteering Fair, from 10:00-16:00. As a long-standing occasion for University societies to promote themselves to prospective members and enroll students, the fair has always attracted a large amount of interest from students in all years. Apart from the online system, it is the main portal for students to join societies, allowing them to talk to the society committees and learn more before signing up.
In recent years the University has suffered from several sign up issues. Until three years ago, sign-ups were processed through cash and cheque. In 2011, the bar code system replaced this, which enabled students to collect bar codes which could then be scanned and paid for at a central point. There have been issues over the past two years with this infrastructure due to the often startlingly busy turnout of the Activities Fair. Since the renovation of the guild website, it is possible to buy membership for any society through the website. However, this infrastructure experienced some issues last year; students were unable to purchase society membership if, in their registration on My Exeter, they declined to share information (such as disabilities) with Exeter Guild.
With students required to buy compulsory gym membership alongside their sports society membership, it is unclear how this will affect AU membership this year.
“I anticipate a lot of hard work from the Guild staff, a lot of queues especially at the midday times, a lot of anger from students and societies alike because of the inevitable technical system problems; hopefully, if students persevere and are patient through all of this, the sign up process will go smoothly,” advises Olwen Hills, a third year student.
Students found society stands across Streatham campus, but despite the simpler cash sign-up system there were still issues caused by sheer weight of numbers, with Santander’s ATM running out of cash.
Dannee McGuire, News Team and Liam Trim, Online Editor
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