No Frills GradBall? No thank you.
In 2002 YUSU spent over £112,000 on the Graduation Ball – it was a truly special event a superb, and unusual setting at Elvington Airfield, on the Friday night at the end of an emotional graduation week. Regardless of the grumbles over after dinner tickets, Christine Hamilton, and Right Said Fred the fact remains that every effort was made to give York graduates the send off they deserved after the stress of finals and before entering the big wide world.
This year YUSU plans to spend less than half of that sum, a paltry £55,000 for what is supposed to be a once in a lifetime event for over a thousand graduates. How can they be so stingy?
We know that Gradball struggles to make ends meet. Costs have to be driven down, but it seems we’re only one step away from a cheesy disco and kebab van in the car park of Ikon and Diva. No frills Gradball, no thank you.
Surely things can’t be that bad, the Union can’t be so impoverished it is forced to opt for a mediocre venue, a reduced budget and the wrong date. The truth is things aren’t in fact that bad, its just that the Union are unwilling to take the risk – they lack the bottle to put on a top notch prestigious event ‘cos they’re frightened they won’t sell all the tickets. Apparently the demand’s not there. But hang on, two years ago Dan Simon made over £93,000 on ticket sales which shows how much graduates value this event. So why is Chris Osborne trying to con us into thinking only £55,000 can be raised this year?
The planned venue, York Race Course, will hardly be special – familiar to anyone who attended last year’s AU dinner, and those going to this year’s Halifax Christmas Ball. The date, a Tuesday night in June will be even less meaningful, falling as it does just after the end of term – weeks before anyone actually graduates in July, and before many students even have their results.
This decision, taken in last week’s meeting of Gradball Committee was sold as the only real option, but that raises two questions: who the fuck are Gradball Committee, and why don’t they ask students what they want before taking decisions on their behalf?
Gradball Committee is apparently open to all, but its existence has been pitifully advertised. Looking around the room at last week’s meeting it was clear Union clique-iness was alive and kicking: a few (non-final year) members of YUSU exec, a few waifs and strays and a few unelected unaccountable members of Union staff. In truth only nouse was there to argue from a student perspective.
The choice offered was a joke, the Race Course or the Royal Armouries, Leeds. Neither available on the right day (let alone the right week), neither able to cater to the numbers who have attended in the past. We’re told there is no alternative, but nouse has shown that a few phone calls opens up a whole range of options if only the SU was willing to put the effort in.
Chris Osbourne and Union Staff are busy people but if you ask most final year students I doubt many of them are bothered about tax breaks or balancing next year’s budget – in fact if you asked most third years they would happily forgo half of what the Union does, YU magazine, the YSCA post and the exec’s free VIP passes to Toffs if it meant getting a decent Gradball. The trouble is they don’t want to ask students what they think, because they don’t care.
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