Before you vote, think about the possibilities campus offers
So it seems that one of the proposals I submitted to Union Council this week has caused some problems. I’m writing this to explain and clarify a few things. Firstly, I want to apologise. The reason this is happening now, rather than earlier in the year, isn’t because of some devious plan, It’s because I didn’t really have this idea until about six weeks ago, and It’s only in the last week or so that It’s become clear that it’s logistically and financially possible.
Before I announced this formally, I sat down with several college chairs, union officers, and other student representatives: the feedback I got was, on the whole, positive. I’ve no desire to create a ‘legacy’ or anything like that, I genuinely want to make this the best event possible for all students and I didn’t anticipate the level of anger that this move would create. For the lack of consultation, I’m sorry, hopefully tomorrows EGM will allow you all to have that opportunity.
That said, I still believe that moving the Ball to campus is the right decision, and I want to try and persuade you. I’ve attended and worked at 8 balls at the Racecourse, and I think YUSU could do better, and I think people attending and spending money at the event deserve better. It’s important to understand that using the Racecourse as venue comes at a phenomenal financial cost; venue hire, security, and transport all have to be paid for by the ticket price, and these things are not cheap. It’s also not great as a venue, only about 500 people are able to see the headline act; drinks are very expensive (and the racecourse has never been willing to reduce them); and the venue staff are inflexible about changing the look and feel of the venue, leaving it better suited to a corporate presentation than a Summer Ball and Graduation Dinner. That’s to say nothing of the obvious logistical and practical problems of moving staff and resources between campus and The Racecourse. Let’s be clear, the racecourse isn’t terrible, but we could do better.
Duck Poo. Concrete. Carlsberg. Events on campus have a pretty poor reputation right now. I can understand why it might not seem like an attractive prospect at first to have a black tie dinner in Roger Kirk, and your final dance in the same place you did your final exams. But, that can be changed. As anyone who’s ever been in a marquee before it’s been draped, and then after it’s been laid up for an event knows, with the right vision, skills, and equipment it is possible to drastically change the look and feel of a space. By not having to pay for security, venue hire, and transport, we can reduce ticket prices, and still have a large budget to make campus into a great place to celebrate.
I’ve already got agreement from commercial services to put extra bars in central hall, to allow drinks to be taken in to the hall while you watch the live acts, and for you to be able to take them all over the site. This isn’t pie in the sky thinking, but stuff I’ve looked into and negotiated. The University is capable of producing good food, it’s just we don’t see it very often; I’ve already had talks with the executive chef about ‘Yorkshire’ themed meal, and with the right lighting, decoration and attitude, it will far exceed the bland chicken served in the bland suite at the racecourse. A Jazz band? A Candlelit Dinner? We can do it here, we can’t at The Racecourse. Langwith will provide several different spaces; we’ll still have the casino, chillout area, and second stage, they’ll just be bigger, and we’ll be able to make them actually different from one another, rather than simply being on different floors.
We’ll make sure that the walkway between Central Hall and Langwith are covered and watertight, and if it’s raining, you won’t have to spend 40 minutes queuing to get on the bus, only to have to queue again when you get to the racecourse. We can use the extra budget to make full use of the outdoor space; Ice sculptures? Lanterns floating on the lake? We can do these things here, we can’t at the racecourse.
There’s been a lot of talk about money; the major complaint we’ve always had about the racecourse is the price of drinks; how about a pint for £2 rather than £3.50? A bottle of wine for £7 rather than £12? Even if this doesn’t affect you, it does affect many people, and it’s been a barrier to those people attending in the past. This move isn’t about making campus bars profitable, but it is a significant side effect; why wouldn’t you want your money going back into the university bar account (when you buy from the bars run by the University) and going back into Union services and activities (when you buy in the courtyard) rather than to an external company.
There’s been lots of voting in the past fortnight, and on Saturday you’ll have the chance to vote again. I feel that there has been an emotional reaction this move because people feel like it’s been forced upon them. That’s entirely my fault, and I’m sorry. Before you vote however, make sure you think about whether you’re really fully informed about the possibilities campus offers. It’s your choice, not mine, and if you want it at the racecourse, then I’ll happily take the easy option; but I firmly believe we’ve got the skills, resources, and opportunity to make campus a great place for the final event of the year. Have some faith…
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Well said Matt.
The idea of lanterns on the lake etc sounds amazing. I hope people actually take the time to think about these proposals before they vote – instead of buying into the hysteria that’s been created over the last 24 hours.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record I’ll say it again, I don’t think most people’s objections are about campus not not looking nice enough, but that the event is taking place on campus itself rather than somewhere more ‘exciting’.
As a result I don’t think the measures Matt has mentioned will make any difference, at the most fundamental level I believe students simply don’t want the event to take place on campus.
Voting against the EGM does not necessarily mean voting for the Racecourse. Although the online petition yesterday supported ‘having the Summer Ball at the Racecourse this year and in future’, the EGM simply proposes moving the event to campus. Perhaps a No vote would present an opportunity for some fresh thinking about the venue. Speaking personally, I’d like to see the finalists-only ball reinstated – I feel the presence of 1st and 2nd years maybe devalues the end-of-degree significance for graduands – which would enable the ball to be staged at a smaller venue – perhaps a hotel – in the city. As Matt Grum rightly says, a lot of people are just keen to have the event somewhere more ‘exciting’ and novel than campus.
I really hope this works out.
I like the idea of hosting the summer ball on campus and urge everybody to actually think about it and not just go along with the hype.
Burton lays down a fantastic argument that I 100% agree with.
I went to the racecourse last year, and although people tried hard I thought it was a little rubish; if Big D can do it, so should YUSU. I’m for the idea of trying something new
Really more needs to be offered if you’re moving the ball to campus.
There’s nothing substantial in your article that suggests this will be the case. If more isn’t offered then we’ll just end up with a more expensive club d, v, or AAAs, albeit in black tie.
Getting dressed up and going somewhere different (or at least somewhere less visited) is an essential part of the ball.
To be frank, it’s mostly YUSU events that have a bad track record on campus. Ice sculptures? How about actually getting some good acts for once?
I’m not sure I would call MB’s argument ‘fantastic’ since it relies, in part, on things that he could or might do.Though he may well go on and do these things, a lot of his argument, beyond of course getting commercial services on board, is ‘pie in the sky thinking’.
Why are all the people in support of this motion anonymous in the comments?
Matt really should have remembered how YUSU was motioned to move the graduation ceremony from Central Hall to the Minster (like YSJ) before he committed himself to this grand plan. The fact is campus is a dump. The combination of dreadful, concrete, 60s buildings; a stagnant lake and bird crap everywhere doesn’t create an environment that most people want to be in. Particularly in their fancy shoes.
I am convinced that this plan has stemmed from Burton’s ego. The guy thrives off himself. He just wants to see his beautiful creation, the Courtyard, succeed. Sure, that’s a good thing to see in one of our sabbs, but not at the expense of everything else. I gladly accept the points he puts forward, but there is little that can be done about my main concerns outlined above. I have also taken exams in the Roger Kirk and I can’t help but think it has an air of school canteen about it. It’s not somewhere I want to be hanging around in my tux.
If the Racecourse really is a terrible venue, go right ahead and change it. As someone says above, make this ball an exclusive event for graduates and that’ll open the door to other venues. I always assumed it was exclusive, anyway. I don’t want freshers ruining my moment.
In conclusion: campus is horrible, the Racecourse is rubbish, and Matt Burton’s an egotistical wannabe celebrity. Scrap the lot, I say.
I’m sold Matt. I’ve never liked the racecourse, I think it is a terrible, expensive and clinical venue that means nothing to me. Campus is where all my memories of University will be, and that’s where I want the ball to be held.
This article is very convincing and reminded me of how much I didn’t like any of the balls in the racecourse that I’ve been to. It is somewhere different, but it’s also somewhere crap.
Edmund Hutton isn’t.
I think people should consider looking at the proposals. I don’t particularly like the idea of either campus or the racecourse as a venue but I can’t see them opening up the Minster & Gardens for us anytime soon.
And what defines a “good act”? I’d rather have a decent live band playing covers to dance along to than some popular act that will only appeal to half the attendees.
I feel I speak for many students when I say that neither the Racecourse nor the campus are ideal venues for Grad Ball, but the Racecourse is the lesser of two evils. It may be expensive but it’s got a touch more glamour than campus, something that gets us excited about one of the most important events of the year for finalists. It’s bad enough that we have to graduate from Central Hall rather than the Minster, having Grad Ball on campus is a slap in the face especially for us finalists who were looking forward to a Racecourse event. If the Racecourse really is a no-go area, it would be 100 times better to find somewhere else off-campus. A stately home or something equally distant from our ugly campus.
@SH:
The problem is that the proposals are vague, and don’t really say much beyond ‘hey, let’s move it to campus!’. So there isn’t much to look at.
Yeah I’m not sure that a ‘good’ act is equivalent to a ‘popular’ act either as you seem to implicate. Though one might be both, either, or neither of course.
Though think I like your cover band proposal, I’m not sure that your use of ‘decent’ is any less vague than ‘good’ here.
There is still a certain quality of acts that is plainly lacking in YUSU events. And for the amount of money involved we should expect more. By ‘more’ I mean musically relevant, not some washed-up talent show contestant.
The problem is that the proposals are vague, and don’t really say much beyond ‘hey, let’s move it to campus!’.
Why can’t the live act be the winners or contestants (if they’re better suited) of this year’s Battle of the Bands? It’d save on costs, which could mean cheaper tickets or improvements in other areas. I really don’t see the point of getting some washed-up novelty celeb. Other than the novelty, of course.
Ultimately this comes down between going for the safe option of the racecourse or the high-risk campus option.
We know how grad. ball works at the racecourse, it’s been done many a time before and, in my opinion at least, it’s an enjoyable night. But it’s nothing new.
The idealised, fairytale view of campus Mr Burton describes reminds me of that Lapland New Forest scam that was highly publicised over December. That is, it most likely won’t live up to the expectations, when all practicalities are considered. Annoyingly, the buildings on campus are quite a way apart, and the whole event is subject to intrusion by freshers and randomers. The lack of spacial constraint on campus can be both a good and bad thing. The decoration of the buildings would have to be intense for people to forget they are in the ‘school canteen’, and that costs lots money and effort, which, with the best intentions, probably won’t happen due to red tape and time constraints. But if it did…
As a 2nd year, a part of me wants to vote for the high risk campus option to see how well it can be pulled off, and if it’s crap, well, we’ll know for 2010. Good arguments on either side. Think I’ll abstain.
The problem with the proposal is that the main hook to get people on board is by telling them that it could reduce costs, both in terms of venue costs and ticket prices. But the vast majority of those attending the night go into the venture knowing that it’s going to be an expensive night.
But if its about saving money, then what the bloody hell are we doing lining the pockets of ‘artists’ like Lemar? Why do we have to have someone who WAS famous, all it results in is a conversation like this:
‘Hey, wasn’t the summer ball great?’
‘Yeah’
‘Remember the main act?’
‘No’
‘Neither do I…’
I’m all for making it more the ball more affordable and by factoring out venue hire and transportation costs that *could* happen, however, as Simon wrote before me, serious money would have to be spent to cover up the campus’ less-than-aesthetically-pleasing aspects. At the end of it all, all the crepe paper and floating lanterns in the world can’t hide the fact that for a lot of students, The Roger Kirk Centre will always represent the time vampires more commonly known as ‘exams’.
If this motion passes, which personally, I hope it does, promises need to be made and kept, students need to feel they’re getting something really special and worthwhile, and an impressive precedent has to be set, but at the core of this, it must be remembered that you can’t wrap a lecture theatre in taffeta and call it a ball room. Set your aims for the event high, but not so high you’ll be standing on the roof of Central Hall with a big stick desperately trying to reach them.
Yeah, wouldn’t it be nice if there was some kind of big old Hall in or near Heslington, possible attached to the University…. ho hum, we live in hope.
Good arguments from both sides, hopefully an EGM will get lots of ideas out of lots of people. It’s nice to see the union opening up its closed-doors style meetings for something that affects all of us when we graduate.
The Racecourse IS too expensive for a student event, especially at the end of term.It’s also a cab ride away from most students’ houses and from the campus itself and the buses laid on by the union have notoriously long queues.
Yet as many have said, it’s glamorous, classy and something different. If you live on campus, you probably go to langy bar at least once a week now. No matter how tarted up it is, it’ll still be the same place you went last sunday for the quiz, or last saturday for co2. There seems to be a certain amount of courtyard-overload at the moment. BoB moved, Elections moved, Hustings moved, and now the ball is moving. We must be careful we don’t make campus life revolve around one bar, a bit of variety is great.
I don’t think we should rule out other venues for the Grad dinner though. Perhaps a posh meal in merchant adventurers / middlethorpe hall / hilton or another large function room (there are some lovely country hotels nearby that aren’t used by the uni much) , then an access-all-areas style campus event including central hall starting a bit later for the non-grads to join in with.
Campus would be great for those of us without much dosh at the end of an expensive 3/4/5 years, but i think I need to see more plans as to exactly how it’ll be different from CO2 featuring Lemar and dinner. Best of luck with whatever happens – it’s the company and atmosphere that makes a good night, not the venue itself. Whatever happens, people will enjoy it and remember it. And whatever happens, people will moan about how it wasn’t the same as last year.
Finally and most importantly, how exactly would the extra bars work? On a night like this, people are going to want wine, a wide range of good spirits, some decent well-kept premium lager (ie: not carlsberg!) and probably some real ale to keep everyone happy. I’m not sure it’ll be a 3 VKs for a fiver type event.
“but at the core of this, it must be remembered that you can’t wrap a lecture theatre in taffeta and call it a ball room”
Well maybe not Taffeta, but Wool Serge certainly, and that’s exactly what happens at all manner of places, starcloths look great!
Admittedly I was very angry with the idea of moving the event to campus because it did seem very hush hush, which Matt has apologised for which is fair enough. I am not adverse to having events on campus but the problem is our campus is not very attractive. Having an event on an Oxford campus there would be no issues with their amazing historic buildings. However if Matt believes that YUSU could put on an attractive and classy venue then I am willing to try. It’s pretty hard to change my mind once it’s made up so well done Matt. As someone said above the event should be open to third years to buy tickets first and then everyone else.
This sounds like a great idea.
Nobody has yet explained to me the attraction of the racecourse other than it being a different place to Campus. It’s not neccesarily any ‘better’ than campus, so as far as I can see it’s just more expensive and more hassle to get there.
This motion is the result of hysterical attempts to change YUSU policy just once before the leave university. Pathetic.
As I said on the other article, the Racecourse is a place to go running, and is a flat, mostly brown expanse with no aesthetics to speak of. Unless you find the sight of grass alone exciting.
James I don’t think this is an hysterical attempt to change YUSU policy before we leave. People are generally concerned that their send off from university was being toned down and people were obviously annoyed that YUSU made such a decision without consulting the students (a couple of second year JCRC chairs does not represent the people who really matter in this which is third years graduating). Burton has changed my mind and I am glad I have heard his side of the argument but please do not brand all those against the motion as pathetic and petty. It is refreshing that so many people care about what YUSU are doing.
Here are the problems as far as I see it:
> Welfare: The Summer Ball will be the night before Big-D. On the Thursday and Friday morning, 1st years have exams. Unlike Big-D which is located just around Derwent, this idea will encompass the whole of campus and go on until the early hours of the next morning, with people roaming round campus and distracting those with exams on the Thursday. Numerically, the numbers this affects are many more than Big-D.
> Central Hall/RK: I’m sorry, but ‘fairy lights’ and the like are not going to transform what are for me, two buildings that are part of my everyday campus experience. This is where we spend our time eating and taking our exams. There is no way that Central Hall will be turned into a venue capable of rivalling the Racecourse, nor the RK centre which is where I eat lunch/dinner on a daily basis. Campus is campus is campus. I want a different (and yes, perhaps more expensive) experience for a final send-off.
> Logistics: The RK centre only seats 550 people for dinner, meaning people will potentially be excluded, not at their own choice, from attending their own graduate supper. I think as a matter of principle, that this should be more of an ‘opt-out’ idea rather than an ‘opt-in’ idea and anyone excluded would have been given a raw deal by the uni. In contrast, the Racecourse allows for everyone to opt in, even if it may sell out and get the 780 people that came last year. Based on those figures, 230 graduates are going to miss out on their last dinner. That is simply wrong, and not ‘hysterical’, James.
In conducting our survey, people also raised concerns about ‘spending
For me, York is one of the most beautiful towns I’ve been too- you can’t go down one street in the center without seeing incredible buildings. Equally, York Uni campus, while it does have its occasional quirky charms, is one of the ugliest places I’ve ever been to. It’s totally devoid of any history or atmosphere.
I agree that the race course is not an ideal location, so why not just find somewhere else in town- surely it can’t be that hard?
People want something special for their grad ball, not a glorified campus event. It’s sacriledge to be donning black tie to wear in the Roger cocking Kirk in any case- just don’t let it happen. Total bollocks.
Who’d have thought that having dinner would cause such an outrage!?
I’m sure we can expect a further EGM to decide what food will actually be served at the graduate dinner. Similarly look out for greater democracy regarding the colour of the tablecloths, the cheesiness of the DJ and the exact temperature of the wine.
Also in the pipeline will be a referendum to decide whether or not a helter-skelter would be more popular than a ferris wheel at the fairground, and a vote of no confidence surely looms dangerously on the horizon for whichever member of staff had the audacity to book lemar and the noisettes, rather than acts we students can expect of our union, like Michael Jackson, Madonna and Paul McCartney.
To the ballot boxes!
Matt,
I will admit your ideas are good, but please, please do not experiment with the grad ball! Why don’t you do this for Fresh next year (well, not you but whoever organises it)? See what happens when an event like that takes place on campus and then go from there?
The grad ball however… I want a nice location with a special feel. Not a campus with 5 minute walks through duck shit is required to get to another part of it.
Too far A. Democrat.
I don’t want to listen to Paul McCartney!
MJ would be good though. Pull your finger out Burton!
Sorry but you wrong that better acts than lemar and the noisettes, means getting michael jackson or madonna. There are lots of artists that would come for less money than we’ve paid out. Just look at who Big D gets. Dare I say it, even chesney hawkes is better… Wasting £20k on rubbish entertainment doesn’t really inspire me with confidence.
Right, in all honesty this doesn’t concern me, I cannot vote, and it affects me in no way whatsoever. So feel free to ignore what I say.
My opinion is based solely on the fact that I have attended my graduation ball, and it was at the racecourse.
We ate in town, and got a few taxis to the racecourse, and in all honesty while it was expensive it was a brilliant night to say goodbye to a lot of people I probably won’t see again. Now, my attitude may seem kinda rich, but I didn’t care how much I spent at the racecourse, I saved up and had a damn good night.
It should be a one off occasion, thats why you need the event off campus.
We’ve all attended good, bad and epic failures when it comes to campus events, and this in all honesty could be any of them. Who has the right to risk one of graduates’ final memories of University.
Most of the people I went on the night with bought new suits, new dresses, new everything, to look their best. I’m guessing that an extra 1.50 a drink didn’t really make a huge dent.
Have people not considered that if the event is more expensive (but worth it) then less freshers are likely to crash it? A cheap event in the last week of term, on campus, its like a muppet magnet.
Pick a different venue, fine, if people want to have a good night, they will save up and enjoy it. They’ve had weeks of exams, they’re cheap weeks!
Final comment on bands … who cares? Why would someone want to play at a grad ball rather than enjoy themselves. You can’t have a grad meal in a tux, then go to a gig, and get back in a tux, it doesn’t work!
If I could vote, I’d say ‘No’ to the idea of campus, silly idea really. It doesn’t mean that the racecourse is the best place, it just means that the venue should be special, somewhere you will remember.
Welfare: if the outgoing and incoming welfare officers are satisfied and minutes of welfare points by the Langwith Chair were answered well then it’s not an issue. They’ve presumably got it in hand.
Central Hall/RKC: I think that the LAKE rivals the racecourse as a venue. It’s shit. RKC is also shit so that needs to be fixed but at least you can see the stage in Central Hall.
Logistics: Campus can have more people than the Racecourse and so it’s only the graduation dinner that would suffer. As I said RKC needs to be fixed but there’s the attached room that would house a few more so the numbers isn’t a massive deal as they’re similar.
The duck shit stuff will be fixed, it’s going to be different to Club D, the bus ride to Racecourse has been pathetic every time I’ve gone to a ball and the buses rarely turn up so everyone’s stuck in the cold at the end of the event, which is rubbish. Being on-campus until 6am would be great.
Both events have problems. The summer ball is shit at the racecourse and you can’t see the acts. The drinks are too expensive for me to buy any and the ticket price is high. If the overheads were knocked down because it was on campus we could have better artists coming (Lemar isn’t exactly the modern equivalent of Hendrix or The Who) and we would get more people going. The money that we spend would end up going to welfare provisions and stuff instead of into the pockets of the wankers that own the racecourse.
Things need to be fixed either way so how about we go with the cheaper option, so that people can afford to go? We’re not all financially-sound twats like you, Taylor. Some of us don’t have a job for next year or have rich parents. Money does make a difference and I don’t think I’ll be able to afford it off-campus. Plus it would be shit.
I love the idea of having it on campus. A part from the amount of money it would save, I think it’s perfect that the GRADUATION ball should on campus. Afterall, campus is where we’ve been studying, taken exams, made friends etc. I think it’s the perfect location for a massive celebration of uni years and the best place to say goodbye to people. A bit sentimental, but I know a lot of people who agree. There’s nothing special about the race course, whereas campus would be a really memorable night.
I don’t think that there is any provision that can be made which is acceptable to address the Welfare issue, especially not the agreement of self-important JCRC chairs or distant welfare sabbs.
Freshers, while annoying, are nevertheless paying through the nose for campus accommodation. The noise level until the small hours of the morning are unacceptable, and if even one Fresher is affected negatively, then YUSU, and particularly Matt Burton, whose idea this is, has committed a grave sin, by putting the enjoyment of some members above the academic welfare of its members. Freshers should not have to be wearing ear-plugs to sleep the night before their exams. To put this in exaggerated perspective, if there are two locations for a theme park, one of which kills someone and is covered in birdshit, the other of which doesn’t, which would you choose to build it on?
I love campus as much as anyone, but this is just not right, no sir, just not right at all.
As an ex-student, I went through summer balls at the racecourse, as well as a ball or two in roger kirk and merchant adventurers.
Why not consider building a giant marquee on the Halifax playing fields? I’ve seen entire super sized night clubs being constructed in marquees. Why not consider doing the same on those fields. Yeah neighbours will complain but they will do the same if it was in central hall.
Central Hall is ok, ok for a conference but not for the summer ball. It’s a bit of a crap looking building in an awkard position. Also YUSU tend to screw things up at the best of times. Think about bringing in an external events company who does marquee design and get them to do it.
Don’t rely on YUSU to make your final summer ball a test bed for their ideas.
After reading some of the other comments, I agree putting it on campus would ruin the feeling. Keep it at the racecourse, but get rid of the shit bands. Even if you made it into a normal ball with classical music , it would be better than the atrocious shite that played at our summer ball.
My fond memories are of the people there and not the surroundings, prices of drinks etc.. But the shit bands just flashed back to me, the room in which they played was a dirty mess and no one could figure who the hell was on stage.
YUSU seem to love putting crap bands on everywhere, why! No other uni does this! They either bring in an amazing act or put on decent DJ’s. Why is that Breakz can attract big names for their kind of music and yet YUSU constantly bring in the most humiliating cringe inducing crap that NO OTHER university will hire. Big acts will play in the smallest venues and yet YUSU just don’t have the skill to attract them to the racecourse. Pull your finger out YUSU and at least sort it out for this graduating year!
Graduation ball is not about location; it’s about spending time with your friends. That is what makes the night enjoyable, not hanging around in a soulless venue that resembles an airport waiting lounge. Last year at the racecourse was exhausting: so many stairs, so many rooms, such a ridiculously long wait for taxis and buses to get there and back. Girls will all, invariably, be wearing high heels. Far easier to walk around campus for the duration of a 12 hour event than the enormous racecourse.
All those people who are whinging about campus being ugly, it might be worthwhile to remember that you chose this university, with all its flaws, with all its good features. The best backgrounds for the photos we all took last year were on campus! Official photographers were outside Heslington Hall, while the quiet place and the willow trees around the lake are all beautiful. Matt’s proposals sound sensible, well-thought out and realistically achievable. They offer what the racecourse can never hope to do: character.
You do not graduate from the racecourse, or, for that matter, from the Minster. You graduate from York University. I’m proud that I did and it seems that a lot of people, in their criticisms of campus and YUSU, are demonstrating that they feel precisely the opposite. I won’t remember that night at the racecourse as a beautiful end to my undergraduate life; I’ll remember campus and times spent there. Campus has a lot to offer. Why not give it a chance?
“You do not graduate from the racecourse, or, for that matter, from the Minster.”
What was the point in saying this? People don’t believe that they graduate from the place that they have their graduation ceremony or ball.
“You graduate from York University. I’m proud that I did and it seems that a lot of people, in their criticisms of campus and YUSU, are demonstrating that they feel precisely the opposite.”
I think people criticise YUSU, *because* they are proud that they attend/attended York. I don’t think it’s justified to claim that
criticising YUSU is somehow being disloyal to the University. Surely wanting the best possible SU is precisely the opposite of showing a lack of pride?
i like lemar! who doesn’t like ’50/50′ and ‘if there’s any justice’!? also there’s something for everyone from the music selection ie urban, indie and dance so what more do people want? (Although Taio Cruz is a much bigger name).
” YUSU seem to love putting crap bands on everywhere, why! No other uni does this! They either bring in an amazing act or put on decent DJ’s. Why is that Breakz can attract big names for their kind of music and yet YUSU constantly bring in the most humiliating cringe inducing crap that NO OTHER university will hire. Big acts will play in the smallest venues and yet YUSU just don’t have the skill to attract them to the racecourse”
I think this highlights the problem.
You don’t think that there’s an issue when York SOCIETIES and COLLEGES can get more respectable acts but YUSU can’t?
I have to say that when I originally saw that the ball had been moved I was completely against it. However, having attended the EGM today I have completely changed my mind. Arguments against the move focused on Welfare issues, yet if the move is rejected on these grounds alone where does that leave all other campus events? If the summer ball can be rejected because of noise concerns so too can Big D. Week 10 is a noisy week when you live on campus- and it always will be. The idea of ending my university life back where it started (on campus) and engaging in some fresher-like antics (albeit in a nicer dress!) now sounds a perfect ending to me.
Also to those who point out that people will be happy to spend an extra £1.50 on a pint because they invest so much in the evening anyway (e.g. in dresses, suits etc) is that really the case? Many will dress to impress but because of this expenditure, plus ticket prices, be unable to afford a pint when they fancy it at the racecourse. Money is a much bigger issue than people seem to consider it to be. When you factor in the cost of the summer ball on top of graduation itself (robe hire, photos, accommodation etc) it really is an expensive couple of weeks.
I also love campus. I went to a music concert in central hall the other week and when you get to look out at the lake with all the shimmering lights it really is beautiful. It is sad that people are so quick to be negative about campus when really it’s such a great place!
I believe that campus would perhaps work for a summer ball, but for the graduate ball also i think is unfair. People have worked so hard for their degrees why do they have to be rewarded with something that is just not fitting to the occasion. I think that the graduates deserve something more for all the contributions they have made to the university as well as the hard work they have put in. By all means have the a party on campus but can the graduates not have at least event of their own to celebrate?
I hate urban, indie and dance. Pop and rock are the two most popular genres. Give me Take That or U2. And give me them in a venue that I can see them.
As I said at the EGM, if welfare is truly your concern, and ONE student being negatively affected is ‘a grave sin’ then do not vote against having a summer ball on campus vote against having a summer ball.
Ok, so as a 2nd year I have to say when I first saw this motion, many more things popped up to me than just the effects it would have on people attending the event.
At the moment it just seems like the Campus event will not just entail use of RK and CH but an almost access-all-areas style event, covering a casino in Langwith etc. I am very aware, for a fact that I will have an exam on the Thursday morning, and ok, fair enough I dont live on campus. But there is no possible way that you can have a good summer/graduation ball without creating a fair amount of noise in the process, and it would be wrong to attempt to do so. However, this, coupled with the exam timetable is simply not going to work. Well it could work, but you may have a number of angry students who live on campus who could not either revise properly as a result of the noise, or couldn’t sleep. Both of which I find extremely unfair, and a decision to hold the ball on campus could seriously affect some people’s degrees. At the same time, those at the ball should not be quietened down as a result. For me the only option is to hold the ball at a separate off-campus venue.
With regards to other factors, such as transport and food and decoration I think there have been a lot of idealised proposals. I think there is only so much decoration that CH and RK can have. To be honest I don’t feel this will be enough to let people forget that these are venues where they spend their normal days. That’s just the thing for me, it’s all too normal. Due to my Thursday exam I won’t be going to the ball, but if I was I want the venue to be somewhere different and somewhere unfamiliar (OK I know the racecourse is still pretty normal, but we spend less time there than RK and CH). It seems to me that it will be difficult to create the illusion that you are just eating dinner in a plush cafeteria, and seeing the acts in what is mainly an exam hall.
Looking to transport, I think either way it is going to be a problem. As previously stated, most 3rd years live off campus anyway, so they will have to obtain transport to get to either venue. My only problem is that normally people would have to get a taxi to campus and then the bus to the racecourse. Regardless of venue, people still will have to get taxi’s on to campus and there is little difference in finance between these two options as the bus is included in ticket price.
Ticket price, however, is a difficult point to tackle. I can understand and to me a £7 saving would be good. But I can’t seem to get over the fact that this £7 difference actually represents a number of differences between the racecourse and campus. Although I have not experienced it myself, I am also very aware that the last two weeks of 3rd year are very pricey. However, as one graduate has pointed out. This is the biggest event of that term for 3rd years, so there is no reason it is not worth saving up for. I would rather save up and have a great night at the racecourse, than take a chance on campus and perhaps have a great night even though its cheap. I think as this is the last time a lot of 3rd years will be together it is more about the quality of the event, not the price. If the £7 can guarantee this (as previous Summer balls would suggest), then I see no reason why we are willing to sacrifice the quality of the event for this amount of money.
And lastly, with regards to food and drink, well I’m simply not convinced that our University chef will be able to provide the same standard as that of the racecourse. Yes, the food may not be all that bad, but I still think the racecourse could produce a nicer meal. I also second Dan Taylor’s point regarding the fact that use of RK would not allow all those attending to eat there. Also, from my past experiences of campus events I don’t believe that commercial services could actually deal with such an event in a professional manner. I know, for example, that at college events they have a reputation for being fairly slow and I myself have queued for up to 40 minutes for a drink. If this, say, for example was at a college event, then I don’t think they will be able to fare any better when presented with 780 people (number attending last year). OK I am aware that the ticket may be £7 more expensive, but I would rather pay this £7 than be stood up all night in RK trying to get served by commercial services to receive a shitty cocktail. Unfortunately, I know Matt Burton has been in discussion with commercial services who have promised good service and good food etc, but I can’t help but feel that we are forgetting that they are a business. If commercial services feel that they are going to gain an event like this, of course they are going to promise good bar service and good food. After all, for them it is going to be an exceptional money-maker and income that they did not previously have.
Apologies if I haven’t been very concise, but I feel these are the issues that may have not been previously mentioned, and I feel that these should be brought up in order that people can make an informed judgement.
‘If commercial services feel that they are going to gain an event like this, of course they are going to promise good bar service and good food. After all, for them it is going to be an exceptional money-maker and income that they did not previously have. ‘
And they will hope the evening will be a success so that the 2010 summer ball will be on campus! This opens up real opportunity for university and SU to work together on projects- it’s a good thing. It is also a good thing for campus as a whole- the money spent there does get pumped back into services. Everyone is so quick to demonize commercial services but it’s not an ‘us’ and ‘them’ situation. They want this to work just as much as students do- even if you take the cynical they’re-only-after-our-money view.
Ultimately a graduation ball is about having an awesome time with you friends and I don’t require a ball at the racecourse to do that!