Don't return the thing unless someone shows they are interested in getting it back- like £200 interested!!!

Better yet - Black Hole should steal it back!

Well I attended a meeting on Wednesday with RAG and Guilds president (noone from life sci or phys sci turned up), and we argreed on a set of rules.

These have been e-mailed out to what is now the "RCSU" in all but policy, and they seem to agree too.

We have added a few extra rules to keep all parties interested, and hopefully we will kick it all off in January - or RAG week!

Should be a good laugh.

Just out of interest, where were the date and time of this meeting published?

All the interested parties were invited by the CGCU President.

I must say, what marvellous news. I really will have my head in the clouds for the rest of the day. However, as a note of caution, when can this either be confirmed or refuted. Would some one also be kind enough to post the results too?

Ed: Voting ended on Thursday night. The PSU president ran the vote, and I hear that it was approx. 95% in favour of RCSU. He hasn't released the results officially though.

I understand the results haven't being released yet, but does anyone know roughly what the turnout was?

It was run as a referendum where a vote was an e-mail sent to Kilian Frensch, so I would guess the raw data (including total number of votes) is only available to those with access to his e-mail account.

I heard around 300 votes were cast

The results:

Faculty of Natural Sciences Students’ Union (FNSSU): 10

NatSci: 10

Royal College of Science Union (RCSU): 124

Natural Sciences Students’ Union: 3

Other: 10

A full article is being sent out to Life and Phys Sci students, and will hopefully also be published in Felix this week.

A turnout of 157 then. I truly am pleased that the new union will be called RCSU, however it seems the biggest issue facing it, is still student involvement.

I'm not sure you can say involvement is a problem on the back of these results (that's not to say it isn't of course...). Last years elections had a comparable turnout to the rest of college I believe, and out of interest: how many people voted in the CGCU referendum all those years ago?

Most students just aren't that bothered about names.

On a related note PhysSci (sorry PSU) seems to be getting a lot more active. Hope this can be carried on with the RCSU.

Considering the short notice, the pathetically small obscure space given by Felix, and other publicity being limited to word-of-mouth and a few posters (again, because of the very short time-frame- not much use if you're not in SAF or biochem) a turn-out of 157 is pretty good going.

This was just to get some wider student opinion in order to have a name and get on with it- the officer elections next term will be pushed a LOT harder- rather than spending months on the name then realising the union has no new officers.

There were also posters around the Physics department, including on the computing room doors. Together with the e-mail that was sent round to at least all Physics UGs, and the fact that a vote need only have been a reply e-mail, I think a turnout of 157 is quite low, even for Imperial standards.

What would be interesting to see is the breakdown of votes by department.

But if the email was anything like the otehr publicity I've seen, it just presented a list of options- to explain the history/meaning of RCSU would have influenced the result rather- so anyone who didn't know the background already probably wouldn't vote (as shown by the very low result for any other option).

So a vote for RCSU in most cases requires a lot more interest than just replying to an email with a name you like the sound of- 157 such interested students is not bad going after a 3-4 year absence.

If you want evidence that more students are interested in areas other than the name, just add up Freshers' ball ticket sales for the two science FU's, not to mention all their other events this term.

On the poster that was put up advertising the referendum, there was no preference for any option on the list (FNSSU/NatSci/RCSU/Other in that order), but I can't find a copy of the e-mail that was sent round.

On the e-mail that was sent round with the poster as an attachment, the message read:

"- As you should know by now, the Faculty of Physical Sciences will be merging with the Faculty of Life Sciences to create the Faculty of Natural Sciences.

• This will mean that all of the science students will be grouped together under a single merged faculty union, and we need a new name for this.
• A Referendum is currently being held to decide this, so please look at the attached document and tell us what you think, emailing your preference or another name (i.e. ‘Sciences Union’) to..."

It would appear that the choice of RCSU is because the Scientists actually want it (or are too lazy to suggest another). However, with the names "RCS" and "RCSU" not being mentioned much among the science departments in the past two-and-a-bit years, I would imagine that most first and second years, together with many third years, have no idea that there ever was a RCSU here. This may explain the lack of votes, but it also shows that, hopefully with this relaunch, the RCSU need to make the scientists aware that they actually exist.

It is well known on campus (at least most people I know know) about CGCU, and some of the craziness that they get up to, which can only increase the number of people who are involved with CGCU, thus completing the circle blah blah blah...

I'm not saying RCSU should be like Guilds, let them evolve to what they want to be, but they need the profile and the recognition by its members.

And as for the Fresher's Ball participants, how many would have turned up because it's a posh sounding ball early on in their first term at Uni?

"out of interest: how many people voted in the CGCU referendum all those years ago?"

918. The results are still online as is the news coverage.

As President and Returning Officer at the time I did not express an opinion (publicly) at the time and shall not do so no. Except to say that it is enevitable (and desirable) that the name change at some point (once enough old farts like me disappear) and that there are probably more important things for union execs to worry.

I think turnout was low becuase most people care more about what the new faculty union will do, not what it is called. At least, that was why I didn't vote. It makes no difference to me whether it is called FNSSU, RCSU, NatSci or whatever else people suggested.

Just to clarify; I was not critizing or complaining when I pointed out the low turnout in the referendum. I can't recall the results from the year I was President and returning officer, but I doubt they were better.

I was simply pointing out that work needs to be done still on student involvement, and that perhaps may be more important than the name itself (of course it is always possible that a particular name will help with getting more students involved.)

I would also point out that the reasons given for low turnout (poor publicity seemed to be the main one) are excellent areas to work on in order to increase student involvement- if publicity is the biggest hurdle to getting more students active in the RCSU (or whatever it's called) then focus on that (and any other hurdles)!

If you were a scientist, you would have been lucky enough to recieve this (rather bland) announcement!

"New Student Union Name Decided

For Immediate Release

6 December 2005

Following last week's referendum, the new Faculty Union of the new Faculty of Natural Sciences shall be named the 'Royal College of Science Union'.

ENDS"

I'm considering publicising it a bit better, perhaps in a more celebratory manner, giving a bit of the history etc.

I haven't had that...

Life Scientist then, we seem to be considerably better organised than our chums in PhySci / PSU / pre-RCSU

Wouldn't a celebratory tone imply a little bias in the executive ;-)

Glad to hear tradition is staying alive.

Hate to burst your bubble Miss life sciences AAO but those of us lucky enough to be in Physics have already received confirmation of the result from our deprep. And in a much more enthusiatic e-mail! [if only I hadn't deleted it...]

Seems we are better organised and more enthusiastic than our "chums" in LifeSci / Life / pre-RCSU.

That is because Physics is full of lively, active people. I "blame" Physoc. Obviously. :P

So, Scientist - which department are you in?

I'll bet it's in the PhySci Faculty.......

NO, NO, NO! This is all wrong! Scientists are supposed to trade insults with Guildsman, not each other. :-)

I'm a litle confused, LifeSci AAO, first you say that all scientists have recieved an email, then you say I haven't because my department is a PhysSci department. Are you suggesting that Physical Scientists are not scientists?

We've been seperate faculties for 4 years now. I would have thought no present undergraduates in PhysSci or LifeSci can remember being part of the same faculty. I know I have more friends and connections with Guilds people than I do with LifeSci people. And I would consider that my degree (chemistry) has more in common with, for example, chemical engineering, than say biology. It is no wonder that we trade insults. It will take time (porbably another 4 years and a new set of undergraduates who cannot remember being separate) for us to all be friends with each other!

NO,NO,NO!! I assumed that all scientists had received the email, but as it turns out - only LifeSci and physics had!

Apologies for any misunderstanding.......

Now lets get back to insulting Guildsmen!

Or each other, as you wish.....

I got a nice long one. (maths)

B**dy students today. Alright then, here's one:

Rumour has it the Guilds President is thinking of giving up engineering and becoming a medic, so that he can be elected ICMSU President. Sources in both Unions claim to be delighted as it will double the average IQ of both of their Executives. Unfortunately this still leaves them far behind the the Life and PhysSci Executives.

I just realized - I wrote that without knowing if the Guilds President can take a joke, apologies if you can't - it wasn't personal :-).

Good attempt this evening black hole. We have decided to take pity on your organisation - check your e-mail

Trojan Horse, that simply will not do. I was in the bar tonight, and witnessed the fracas that occured between the Black Hole and the Trojan Horse.

The conduct displayed on what should have been a jovial mascot theft was apalling.

The two Black Hole members took Spanner fair and square. The spanner bearers who persued them acted like complete thugs, using violence to retreive the mascot. The rules are 1:10 in such situations. That means that 20 C+G men were needed (and could easily have been procured from the bar) to get spanner back.

Now, I am aware that engineers are'nt quite the sharpest tools in the Imperial shed, but I think that even they could see the difference between 2 and 20 people. One RCS man's phone was damaged by being thrown to the floor and the other was assaulted, causing a cut to his elbow.

I dont think that the honest men of the RCS Black Hole need pity, rather the morons that have been elected to represnt C+G, and the potential death of mascotry as we know it.

To be technical, the black hole have not agreed to any mascotry rules. They have merely stated that they would be adopted upon return of theta. Therefore at the current moment there are no rules..

This is purely technical, and your estemed leader will have recieved an e-mail.

It is also worth noting that a mascot must be handed over if there is a 10:1 ratio present, and whilst violance is frowned upon, there is nothing to say that if a 10:1 ratio does not exist then a scuffle cannot occur.....

Ah ha! Already the new RCS are showing shades of their former Union. The RCSU was regarded as a haven for the most obsessive mascot guardians and the most anal / hackish officers.

My personal view is that the rivalry between colleges is a friendly, competitive one ... however from what I saw last night it appears to be slightly more than that. I hope that the gentlemen involved in instigating the fracas have at the least apologised.

It is also clear to see now why C&G have all the mascots in their possession, with the underhand tactics on display last night!!

The Incident last night was wrong, however the black hole and the trojan horse have been in contact with each other and resolved the matter in the intrests of "friendly mascotry".

The Black Hole considers this the end of the matter

The Black Hole

Last night's display was quite soft. In previous years the RCS have been known to run people over in cars...

A small scuffle is hardly a fracas.

As far as I'm aware: One person was injured by a car incident (in the history of Imperial mascotry). Mascotry was suspended as a result, and new rules were brought it (I believe this where the overwhelming numbers rule originated).

A word of warning: In today's climate you can't get away with what you could twenty years ago (or even five years ago), especially with respects to mascotry.

Incidentally "Observer" - nice one; that's the spirit. BTW if you, or any Guildsman ever needs any help with your Maths, as a former Maths teacher I know a few Year 7s that might be able to tutor you.

The black hole was told of a meeting on MSN at 7. They have been waiting 20 minuites now. Is the Trojan Horse running scared from us again?

The Black Hole thanks the TH for returning the second instalment of Theta, and praises their ingenuity of delivery.

However, the message played down the phone was incomprehensible, as our operatives are untrained in Horse Whispering!

We await further information on Theta.

The Black Hole

So, has this silly mascotry finally stopped? Are we going to take it that these mascot teams no longer actually exist, because no-one actually cares, and start talking about more important things? Like properly representing the students for once......

Get lost.

Do we tell you to stop being represented?

No one forces you to read these articles.

If you really want to be represented, then talk to your year/dep rep!

What has happened to the mascot discussion though - it all seems ominously quiet...

Maybe everyone has really given up?