Anger as Fusion closure leaves societies facing ‘punitive’ fines for cancelled circles

Social secretaries have been left scrambling to confirm circling allocations following the sudden announcement of a new system which will see societies fined for cancelling their Wednesday night socials.  

An announcement made by the Students’ Union (SU) on a Facebook group for society exec members seemed to confirm that the measure would be implemented immediately, with societies having 48 hours to confirm circling allocations for term three.

The post said that the “punitive measure” was being introduced to combat the rise of societies and sports clubs cancelling or not turning up to circles.

The SU also added that the move was being made as “circling space is at even more of a premium now that Fusion has closed”.

The closure of the resident sports bar on campus also came as a sudden announcement, with social media posts advertising live sport being broadcast at Fusion being shared as recently as last month.

A spokesperson for Warwick Food Group, who operate the venue, confirmed to The Boar on 27 March that Fusion Sports Bar has been closed “indefinitely” as a result of escalating operating costs.

The sudden announcement has now left societies with little time to confirm their circling plans for the upcoming term after allocations were also announced today

The spokesperson added: “We understand and greatly regret the disappointment this will cause to loyal customers of Fusion, but with five other licensed outlets trading in central campus, there’s still plenty of choice whilst we review future opportunities for the space.”

The sudden announcement of both the new measure and Fusion’s closure has now left societies with little time to confirm their circling plans for the upcoming term after allocations were also announced today, at the same time as the new measure.

This means that fines look set to be imposed for any cancellations made beyond the end of this week. The changes will affect all POP! and Skool Dayz circles taking place in Copper Rooms (Rooms 1 and 2, and the Chill Out area) and the Atrium.

Societies who cancel their circles after the two-day grace period will be fined £2 per head, doubling to £4 if the circle is cancelled less than seven days before the event.

Fines will also be imposed on societies whose circle attendance falls below 25% of its allocation, raising concerns for smaller societies who often cannot guarantee that enough members will turn up to circles.

£100 (for even a smaller allocation of 25 people) is a lot of money for a society to take on, [especially in] stark and mitigating circumstances that exec members literally cannot control

Krish Singh, society exec member and second-year

Krish Singh, a society exec member and second-year English Literature student, was among those to share concerns, claiming that the new measure “disproportionately targets” newly formed societies and societies with small memberships.

He added: “£100 (for even a smaller allocation of 25 people) is a lot of money for a society to take on. Oftentimes, in particular for newer societies, it is the case that new events and opportunities arise after the [first] two days of week 1, not to mention the stark and mitigating circumstances that exec members literally cannot control, namely how many people actually turn up after agreeing to come to a circle.”

Oliver, President of Bad Film Society, echoed concerns that the rule change will particularly hit smaller societies, as well as “disproportionately excluding neurodivergent people” with “the loud, overwhelming environment of the Copper Rooms and the Atrium [being] simply inaccessible for many [society] members”.

He added: “There was no indication when booking circles that these are the only venues which we could be allocated. It also means it is no longer possible to circle on campus without buying an event ticket — another barrier to entry.”

Concerns have also been raised about the way in which the new measure has been announced, with societies and sports clubs not being notified of the change via email or other platforms, such as the Warwick Sport Teams channel.

I think charging societies for choosing to cancel events is both unfair and disappointing, given the constant commitment every society has to upholding the various SU values

Abigail, former Cocktail Society President and Social Secretary

Abigail, former President and Social Secretary of Cocktail Society, said that the announcement, which was only made via Facebook, was “inaccessible” for clubs, meaning many questions have been left unanswered.

She added: “Given it is the final term of the year, which brings about a multitude of stresses for both society members and exec, I think the move to fine societies for cancelling circling events is particularly poorly timed.”

“The various changes, increasingly based on time scales, brings about more stress, especially for events running later in the term. Managing a society is already difficult when organising funds, so I think charging societies for choosing to cancel events is both unfair and disappointing, given the constant commitment every society has to upholding the various SU values.”

While the move has been met with widespread criticism, some students have found positives in the new measure. One third-year told The Boar that “it’s just inconsiderate for societies and clubs to apply for allocations, and then not use them”, referring to clubs who cancel their circles with little to no notice.

The SU has not made clear how societies will be billed for cancelling circles, or whether any exceptions to the new measure will be granted.

The University and the SU were approached for comment.