Minutes: 2002-2003/2002-10-24

 

Minutes of the RockSoc Committee meeting

24th October 2002

 

Present: Baz, Elizabeth, Oliver, Oli, Emma

Apologies: Ben

 

Meeting opened: 2053

 

 

1) Minutes for approval

Typo of the week was felt to be the part where the committee agreed to the 'plating' of a death metal band. It was felt that copper would look most attractive, although it does tend to tarnish quickly. It was suggested that, by analogy with 'bottling', we wanted the audience to throw plates at them. After the silliness died down it was agreed that they would in fact be 'playing'

 

The minutes were approved.

 

2) Treasurer's report

The treasurer giggled maniacally. He is very good at this. He said that he had not managed to get a bank statement this week but he was very happy to report the following transactions:

 

We paid out L120 for the gig on Saturday last.

 

We have paid in the profit from the last WUS. This amounted to L441.

Still to pay in are L30 in membership money

'Some money' which is in the gigs box.

 

The treasurer said that the monies residing in the RockSoc bank account were about L850 pounds.

He promised to have a bank statement next week.

 

ACTION: Treasurer to come up with a bank statement next week.

 

 

3) WUS

A: Ben had asked that the committee discuss the matter of possible NUS discounts. He noted that during WUS this week at least 20 people came to the door and asked the price, and how much discount an NUS card gave. When told there was no NUS discount, they left, saying that other events at the Kambar had NUS discounts and if we wouldn't give them one they refused to attend on principle.

 

Ben pointed out that this was a loss of about L50 to the WUS takings, and asked that the committee discuss introducing a L3 entry price with NUS card, to bring the club into line with other clubs.

 

The committee discussed the matter and raised the following objections to this idea:

 

a) Elizabeth felt that it would discourage people from joining RockSoc on the door at WUS. If people felt they were already getting a discount they might be less likely to pay for a further discount. This in turn would mean fewer people on the mailing lists, and thus fewer people informed of other RockSoc events

 

b) Emma pointed out that it would set an uncomfortable precedent, and we might then face calls for NUS discounts at other RockSoc events, and we might find members demanding NUS discounts on top of their RockSoc discounts

 

c) Oliver pointed out that for years we have been trying to show that we are not a student Society, but a society open to everyone. Offering NUS discounts might increase the unfavourable impression which several non-university rock fans hold of us in spite of our attempts to persuade them otherwise (i.e. that we are a bunch of stuck up students and townies aren't welcome)

 

d) Emma pointed out that door sheets seldom tally with the money in the WUS box anyway, and adding another columns for NUS entry would only make it more complicated, harder to estimate numbers in the club, and increase the likelihood of mistakes being made.

 

A vote was taken on introducing a reduced price for NUS people

 

For: 0 (though Ben is presumed to be for it) Against: 5 Abstaining :0

 

It was decided not to introduce a reduced charge.

 

B: Elizabeth said that WUS has been unpleasantly crowded this week. 2 people had expressed an intention of leaving and not attending further WUSs because of this. Because of the crush, many people were standing on the dancefloor, which was a nuisance for those who wanted to dance. Elizabeth asked about opening upstairs. She asked if we were sure that there was an upstairs. Several people said that they had seen it on other nights, but that management were unwilling to open it. The committee thinks that the facts are that the capacity of the club is 200 without the upstairs opened, and that we did not exceed this figure.

 

Several committee members pointed out that many of the people present appeared to like the club overcrowded, especially the younger ones who feel that if it's overfull it must be fashionable and are thus encouraged to come back.

 

It was decided that Ben should have a word with the management about this, asking under what conditions they were prepared to open upstairs.

 

C: Publicity

It was agreed that the flyer/poster should be on the website so that Baz can print it and put posters up in Colleges. The present flyer is a word document, which poses problem when people without the right fonts installed try to print it. Oli asked Emma to give him a .pdf file of it instead. Oliver nodded sagely and stated that this was because he was pretending he knew what they were talking about. Then he went for a piss.

 

D: Making it clearer what WUS is

A number of new freshers who Elizabeth spoke to at the Kambar seem puzzled by the idea of a Society who they encountered at the Societies Fair being involved in a clubnight in a 'real nightclub' rather than a College room. Even when it was explained to them, many of them couldn't understand how we were involved in the clubnight (one appeared to form the impression that we own the Kambar). Many were puzzled by the idea that not everyone at WUS was a student.

 

This raised the point that many people who encountered us at the Societies Fair came away thinking that we were a University-only Society who held events in College Rooms. She pointed out that presumably many people who didn't sign up thought this too, and that this might have discouraged them.

 

It was decided that a laminated A4 poster or two explaining who RockSoc are and what WUS was should be prepared to be put up in the Kambar alongside the DJ lists. It should include:

Who we are (making clear about both students and non-students)

That we support Rock Music

Membership costs...and what you get

Door costs

When WUS is

AND THE WEBSITE IN BIG LETTERS

 

There should also be flyers about RockSoc to give to newbies (easily identified by the fact that they all try to pay the cloakroom attendant the entry money)

 

Elizabeth was volunteered to make these and bring proofs next week.

 

E: DJ lists

The presence of lists of DJs for this week and next week on the walls of the Kambar was approved of. Oliver mentioned the fact that it was especially valued by those who had no internet access, or who hadn't yet joined RockSoc so didn't get notified. It was agreed that we should continue to do this.

 

F: A person from Kerrap! came and handed out stickers. And left.

 

G: Baz decided at this point to shout 'Uriah Heep' with great enthusiasm and throw horns. The rest of the committee decided to ignore him.

 

ACTION: Ben to speak to the management of the Kambar about the conditions under which upstairs will be opened.

Emma to mail a .pdf of the foyer to Oli

Oli to put same on the website

Elizabeth to make a proof of poster and flyer and bring it next week

 

4) October gig

Oliver recorded that he enjoyed the gig. Emma said that they got most of the rider sorted out, and was told that we came closer to the stated rider than any other venue on the tour. It was agreed that we should keep the manager sweet as some of the bands would like to come back.

 

We lost about L70, and in addition made a goodwill payment to Stan as we felt that having the Boat Race liking us was important, and he had provided it free of charge.

 

Oli asked if the costs and income from each gig could be written up and given to the treasurer. This will help if the proctors get picky, and also will help future committees.\

 

ACTION: Emma to write a statement of account for the gig and give it to Oliver.

 

5) November gig

Kevvlar have been in touch and have confirmed that they intend to play this gig. Emma will speak to Kev about it this week and make the necessary arrangements. Or Baz

 

Both Geared4 and AR have confirmed that they intend to play this gig.

 

ACTION: Emma or Baz to phone Kev.

 

6) Freshers week

Further to last week's comment, a member has informed the committee that he has fucked a fresher, and another member has received a written offer of a bow job from one.

 

ACTION: I couldn't possibly comment :-)

 

7) Lent term gigs

Emma has booked 15th Feb at the Boat Race. The committee agreed that the second date this term should be the Saturday of CU 8th week. Emma will look up the dates and book the Bat Race.

 

Baz has mailed Criminal, Mulch and Beyond Redemption asking them to play on Feb 15th

 

ACTION: Emma to book Saturday 8th week at the Boat Race

 

 

8) Webshite

A) Pool ladder

This has now been added to the website, but the totals have not yet been implemented. Oli noted that the number of wins and losses don't add up :-)

 

B) It has been noted that links to the CUSU Societies Directory from some other Societies' webpages point to an old version of the CUSU Directory which claims that we meet in the Hogshead. Baz has e-mailed CUSU to request that this outdated version be taken off line to prevent people linking to it. We can't be the only society suffering from this problem

 

C) John Sullivan has asked if we can try to get CUSU to change the contact address on the Societies directory, from RockSoc@cusu.cam.ac.uk to our rocksoc-committee@chiark.greenend.org.uk. We have tried this in the past and they have been unwilling to do so. However, it does cause some problems, particularly as all mail forwarded from @cusu gets bcc'd to chiark and is thus caught by the spam filter. Thus it may be lost, and more likely John has to approve it manually. However, the committee agreed that CUSU are a bunch of idiots and if they say they won't change something, it's usually pointless to try to persuade them.

 

D) Everyone agreed that the members' gallery was great. Oli stated that 'Dave Tyler and Oliver are now the same size' and occasioned much hilarity among members with dirty minds.

 

E) The pictures from the pubcrawl need to be put up, and Random Quotes need to be added to the front page

 

ACTION: Oli should: sort out pool totals, put up the flyer, put up the pubcrawl pictures, put up a random quote

 

9) Tea shop crawl

This has not yet been posted to -official. Oli should do that.

An email has been received by the committee alleging that Baz can't hold his tea. Baz states that he can drink tea till everyone else is under the table. He said that he owned a new Phil Collins album.

 

The committee noted that Baz passed out during the pub crawl on Monday and a member's mother had to be summoned to drive him home.

 

10) Record collection

Oli has received the catalogue, so he can put it on the website and sort out and auction of the items that can be sold.

 

ACTION: Oli to put up the catalogue

 

11) Membership cards and books

Elizabeth pointed out that recently she had received membership books which contained illegible or incomplete entries. She requests that when selling memberships we are careful to

 

1) note whether it is a life or year membership (many don't say)

2) tear out the _carbon copy_ (the back copy) not the one with the pen on it at the front (yes, I know the book is designed to be the other way round, but several times recently I haven't been able to make out the back copy)

3) PUT THE CARBON PAPER IN THE RIGHT WAY ROUND One membership ahs been sold without RockSoc knowing who it is at all because the front copy has been ripped out and there is nothing on the back copy at all.

 

Elizabeth will e-mail -official asking if anyone has not received a card, as recently she's had a lot of complaints about this, and it looks as if a batch of cards may have been lost in the post or forgotten about.

 

12) T shirts

Oliver WILL remember to bring 3 to this meeting next week OR ELSE.

 

13) Adoring and abhorring

Baz still abhors committee meetings

Everyone adores those who came to WUS, those who clapped at the songs, and Andy Cairns in particular.

 

14) Recommended bands

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Mulch

Falconer

Saxon

(early) Tiamat

 

Baz exclusively recommends Phil Collins to, and asks me to add 'great great song a personal favourite' for some reason.

 

15) AOB

None

 

Meeting closed 2136