Freshers' Week ends with society sign-ups

Image credit: Niklas Rahmel

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

Follow @ExeposeNews on Twitter and like us here on Facebook.

Christmas fair to be held on cathedral green

Exeter City Council’s local planning committee has given the go ahead this year to the proposal for a festive market on the cathedral green.

The market will be opened officially on 23 November, following a light parade led by school children, and it will run until 16 December. Described as “long overdue” by the council, it will be open from 10am every day, except Sundays (11am).

Although the tenants of the stalls have yet to be finalised, at least 20 per cent of the retailers will be local, offering a variety of continental foods, such as a roast hog, Belgian chocolate and baklava, as well as a variety of Christmas crafts and a local glass blower demonstrating his skills.

Photo credits to Will Binks

The council gave unanimous support to the proposal, permitting it to take place for at least the next five years, despite some public fears that it would cause havoc and be intrusive to locals.

John Harvey, Exeter city centre manager, told Exeposé Online that “it will be a boost to city centre businesses.”

“Hopefully people coming to stay in Exeter for one or two nights in hotels or B&Bs will visit the market and the shops in the city.”

“We were in contact with Market Place Europe in spring and it took a long time to negotiate but we’ve now cleared the two key hurdles.”

No decision has been made as to whether there are plans to involve the university in the fair, but the committee are open to applications.

 

By Will Binks