CSC Evict Sci-Fi Soc from Coveted House 6 Room

News ? By editor on November 20, 2012 11:32 am

Hannah Ryan

News Staff

The University Times has learned that the Central Societies Committee (CSC) executive committee has voted to move the Dublin University Science Fiction Society out of its allocated room in House 6 to a room shared with DU Gamers Society in the Arches in Goldsmith Hall.

The decision was reportedly announced by Ronan Hodson, honorary treasurer of the CSC, at a recent meeting of the executive committee. The official reason given is that the society are not making full use of such a large space ? the biggest society space in House 6 ? and that the ever-growing number of recognised societies dictates that no society can justify having a room for its exclusive occupation.

The decision to move the society from its current location was made on Wednesday 14th November, but the society was not informed of the decision for a further 26 hours, by which stage The University Times was already aware of the outcome of the meeting.

Speaking to The University Times, a Sci-Fi Society source has said that this decision has ?long been in the making? and expressed the society committee?s collective suspicion that the room was being earmarked for Q Soc in their stead. This suspicion, said the spokesperson, is based on Hodson and CSC secretary David Doyle?s shared affiliation to Q Soc. Doyle held the position of auditor in the most recent academic year and Hodson held the same position in his days as a student. The spokesperson also questioned whether or not quorum was reached at the meeting of the executive. Doyle denied both of those suggestions when speaking to The University Times on Sunday afternoon.

The society have claimed that the decision was announced by Hodson at the end of the meeting. The position of honorary treasurer is non-voting and does not imbue the holder with decision-making authority.

Sci-Fi committee members approached the CSC on Friday to request a copy of the minutes of the meeting but that request was denied on the basis that sensitive information had been relayed in another part of the meeting. A further request for the minutes of the relevant section of the meeting only was also denied.

A University Times source indicated that this was indeed the case, but Doyle stated that the decision was that of the executive and that quorum was in fact reached at the meeting: ?it was an exec decision?exec voted on it.?

When questioned about the suggestion that Q Soc would replace Sci-Fi in the room, he said that ?the list of who?s moving in hasn?t been decided yet?all this movement is part of a larger movement of all societies. This was the decision that the exec felt was best for societies in general.?

A member of the DU Gamers Society committee, who would be sharing its space with Sci-Fi if the move goes ahead, have expressed concerns to The University Times that there is no room for another society in their room in Goldsmith Hall. Doyle refuted this claim, stating: ?it?s been assessed by the CSC exec and it?s felt that there is definitely room for both societies.?

When asked about the subject, and the prospect of several societies being moved in to share Sci Fi?s room, Sam Heavey, treasurer of the society, stated emphatically that ?I am not happy with the decisions? the logic, we believe, is unsound. We have addressed our concerns with the CSC, but they refused to acknowledge it. We may have a chance as they did say we can write a proposal and officially submit it to them.

?Our proposal is simply to move some other societies into the room with us that have already agreed to it, if the CSC allows.?

Asked if he thought the move to be a form of punishment for the society?s unsatisfactory accounts for 2011/12 and poor security of its room that led to ?1,000 being stolen during broad daylight, Heavey said ?I do not believe that we are being punished. They claim to have had plans to move societies, although it possibly put us in the spotlight.?

Source: http://www.universitytimes.ie/2012/11/20/csc-evict-sci-fi-soc-from-coveted-house-6-room/

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