[SUBW-A] AGM and other issues

[P Harvey]

Hi All,

I hope everyone has had an enjoyable summer so far and managed to get
away to do at least a few decent walks or canyons.
As some have probably noticed, the walks program has been looking
quite empty for a while now. It has been pointed out that the Club
seems to have been having a recession of it's own in recent times. As
one of the oldest clubs on campus, SUBW has played a leading role in
bringing together students as well as the wider community so that the
outdoors can be enjoyed safely and with the expertise of experienced
members on hand.

Recruitment of new members, particularly from the student community,
has traditionally provided the lifeblood of the club. The challenges
presented by VSU have not gone unnoticed by SUBW in recent years, with
a diminishing number of new members coming into the club. A viable
future for the university club will rely on new members from the
student/access card community joining the club and being willing to
take on leadership roles within the running of the club.

With O-week coming up in a few weeks it would be great to turn things
around and have a walks program packed full with trips for 2009. If
you have been thinking about organising any trips, particularly
beginner trips, the next couple of weeks would be a great time put
them up on the program . A full walks program will help to promote
SUBW as an active club and will encourage more people to join during
O-week.

Regarding the Annual General Meeting, it is a requirement by the
Student Union that we hold our AGM in March. I have set the date of
Wednesday 25th March for this meeting which should hopefully not take
up a great deal of time and leave the opportunity to show some slides
afterwards. The AGM will involve electing a new committee for the
club; USU also requires that all executive committee members must
belong to the Student Union i.e. current Access card holders.

If anyone is planning on purchasing a 2009 Access card I would
STRONGLY urge you to make it along to our AGM and perhaps consider
standing for an exec position this year. They are not hugely demanding
roles but do require a small investment of time and energy to ensure
things get done (eg. organising slide nights, banking, checking
mailbox ect). Please send me an email if you have any questions or
would like to know more about these positions.

Thanks and, as always, press on regardless,
Pete