SU backtracks on new circling policy with fines now set to be applied on a ‘case-by-case’ basis

Rules surrounding a new measure which will see societies fined for cancelling circles have been softened following criticism that the move would “disproportionately” affect smaller societies.

A joint statement issued by the Students’ Union (SU) Vice-Presidents for Societies and Sports, Joe Stanley and Louis Gosling, said that they “recognise the distress” that has been caused by the announcement of the new measure, but added that it would not be scrapped completely.

Instead, the SU has clarified that fines will only be considered for a society if the space left vacant by their cancelled circle is unable to be filled by another society.

This clarification comes as a partial U-turn on the original announcement of the measure, revealed on Wednesday, which said that “any cancellation” would be subject to a fine, rather than only those which go unfilled.

Societies will now have a safety net if they decide to cancel their circle, a decision which the SU has appreciated is sometimes “unavoidable”.

[The fines] are a rough guide on how groups may be sanctioned

Joe Stanley, SU Vice-President for Societies

The SU added that they will “always attempt to fill the vacant spot” resulting from a cancelled circle, with the society who cancelled the circle not being fined if the space is filled.

In the event that the space is not filled, societies will still be liable to fines of £2 a head, rising to £4 if the circle was cancelled less than a week before the social.

Fines will also be applied on a case-by-case basis, with Stanley confirming in a separate email to society exec members that the fines are “a rough guide to how groups may be sanctioned”.

He added that the Operations team has confirmed that no society will be left “bankrupt” by the new measure, and that any society that feels they have been “harmed harshly or severely by a circle no-show or cancellation” should contact the SU.

The decision to implement the new rule comes after the “surprise closure” of Fusion Sports Bar, which was also announced earlier this week, and the increase in societies and sports clubs failing to show up for circles.

As many as 25 circles which were due to be held in SU venues in term two were not attended, with this increase in ‘no-shows’ resulting in leftover spaces which could have been allocated to other societies.

The term three allocation process has seen over 50 circle requests have to be rejected, which means that we are at risk of rejecting viable circles that we do in fact have space for due to no-shows

Joe Stanley and Louis Gosling, SU Vice-Presidents for Societies and Sport

With circling space at even of more a premium in term three, with POP! not held in weeks four to six, Stanley and Gosling said the decision to introduce the fining system was “motivated by a desire to be as fair as possible to all our student groups”.

They added: “The term three allocation process has seen over 50 circle requests have to be rejected, which means that we are at risk of rejecting viable circles that we do in fact have space for due to no-shows.”

Recognising that the new measure was made “at such short notice after the application deadline”, the SU has extended the period in which societies can cancel their circles without a fee.

Society execs now have an extra week to organise their plans for the upcoming term, with the deadline for cancellations extended to Sunday 6 April.

Societies and sports clubs who continue to have concerns over the new measures have been urged to reach out to either Joe Stanley or Louis Gosling via their emails.