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Zelda · 12-13-2007, 07:23 AM

I am annoyed. REALLY annoyed. I get back for our last club night of the year after missing the last 3 weeks due to a conference and other committments to find out my cover -who I had confirmed with and organised my lesson plans around, just didnt show for the 2 weeks he said he would.
To say I am annoyed is an understatement. Extremely peeved is probably closer. I had let everyone know that there would be replacements etc etc. IF I had known he wasnt going to be there I would have just finished up the club for the year before I left. He didnt even let me know! Sure, I was in the UK, but he had my mobile and could have texted me.
The kids were taken one week by someone who I personally dont think should be teaching - but I am VERY grateful that they stepped into the breech. I am still unclear as to what happened the other week. I know the last week went to plan with a very small club competition.
I can only do so much - the rest of my club committee,(all one of them) is useless. The amourere is a darling however. I still have to do our AGM stuff for this year...I suspect we will be on warnings next year re organisation. Its a student club - thus has to be run by a student body. I am so worried about what will happen when I submit (likely to be Sept 2008) as I may not be around after that.
I am not really looking for advice or anything (except maybe how to get my secretary to be useful instead of a lump of an epeeist with a temper) I just wanted to vent to ppl who get it.

KD5MDK · 12-13-2007, 08:28 AM

Get a sabre fencing secretary? We get things done quickly.

Zelda · 12-13-2007, 04:55 PM

I'd love ANY secretary who is vaguely USEFUL. But due to very low student numbers its me and him...

Cry_Me_A_River · 12-13-2007, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zelda

I can only do so much - the rest of my club committee,(all one of them) is useless.

Stop b**thing and whining about it and DO something about it.

Can you just fire those useless bastards.

erik_blank · 12-13-2007, 10:28 PM

Zelda: I feel your pain. I have been Treasure, VP an President for a University club (one year all at once for a semester) and there were times when none of th other officers were even breathing in the correct direction let alone trying to lift their weight. Now that I am the unofficial 'coach' of the club, I have even less influence than before (I graduated 10 years ago, but for some reason still stayed around to help with the club after finding a semi-decent job in the area). The students here have varied from gross incompetence to (the last few years) highly efficient. Still, I have no real power to motivate the officers let alone do anything about who holds positions in the club.

As for getting the secretary in gear, is this person someone that wants to hold a title because the feel it makes them important, or is this person someone that was forced into the job because they went out to get a soda when everyone else was voting for the position? If it is the first one, then maybe they could be useful in another position that more suits their skill set(perhaps a title like President pro-tem of Scoring and time keeping device storage...) If it is the latter, perhaps you can approach others about their interest. It may also be that this person is over-loaded and while they actually had god intentions in the beginning, they have now found there is not enough time in the week to get everything done, but they are too embarrassed to admit it to anyone.

Good luck with your report, and I hope that things go well for you next semester!

tdwg83 · 12-14-2007, 11:06 AM

I understand completely from a slightly different angle. When I was in a university club we had a president that often could be unreliable. As VP it was normal for me to take care of the club for practices. As such since I graduated the club has had a significant drop in membership and I worry that a club I helped build is going to disappear in the next couple of years.

erik_blank · 12-14-2007, 12:55 PM

tdwg83: I understand where you are coming from. Unfortunately a University club relies on the students to maintain the organization unless they have a VERY mmotivated advisor. (While our advisors have always been there to sign the forms, they both have made it quite clear that they were going to have a very hands off approach and that this was 'our' club to do with as we wished... I want to stress that I really appreciate our advisors for being there, and that there is no real ill will here.)
I hope that your club will get some very moticvated members next semester that can take the lead and move your club forward.

tdwg83 · 12-14-2007, 05:24 PM

I hope so to. Especially since it dies and the university is picky about the location of equipment that they helped fund, most of the perfectly good equipment will sit in a closet molding and falling into disrepair until someone comes along to start a club again.

VorpalCat · 12-17-2007, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdwg83

I hope so to. Especially since it dies and the university is picky about the location of equipment that they helped fund, most of the perfectly good equipment will sit in a closet molding and falling into disrepair until someone comes along to start a club again.

Or the closet is opened a few years later and is found to be empty.

fencerbill · 12-17-2007, 05:43 PM

Wouldn't life be easier if we just didn't care? But we do.

I sympathize with your disappointment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zelda

I am annoyed. REALLY annoyed. I get back for our last club night of the year after missing the last 3 weeks due to a conference and other committments to find out my cover -who I had confirmed with and organised my lesson plans around, just didnt show for the 2 weeks he said he would.
To say I am annoyed is an understatement. Extremely peeved is probably closer. I had let everyone know that there would be replacements etc etc. IF I had known he wasnt going to be there I would have just finished up the club for the year before I left. He didnt even let me know! Sure, I was in the UK, but he had my mobile and could have texted me.
The kids were taken one week by someone who I personally dont think should be teaching - but I am VERY grateful that they stepped into the breech. I am still unclear as to what happened the other week. I know the last week went to plan with a very small club competition.
I can only do so much - the rest of my club committee,(all one of them) is useless. The amourere is a darling however. I still have to do our AGM stuff for this year...I suspect we will be on warnings next year re organisation. Its a student club - thus has to be run by a student body. I am so worried about what will happen when I submit (likely to be Sept 2008) as I may not be around after that.
I am not really looking for advice or anything (except maybe how to get my secretary to be useful instead of a lump of an epeeist with a temper) I just wanted to vent to ppl who get it.

lefty_monster · 12-17-2007, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zelda

I am annoyed. REALLY annoyed. I get back for our last club night of the year after missing the last 3 weeks due to a conference and other committments to find out my cover -who I had confirmed with and organised my lesson plans around, just didnt show for the 2 weeks he said he would.
To say I am annoyed is an understatement. Extremely peeved is probably closer. I had let everyone know that there would be replacements etc etc. IF I had known he wasnt going to be there I would have just finished up the club for the year before I left. He didnt even let me know! Sure, I was in the UK, but he had my mobile and could have texted me.
The kids were taken one week by someone who I personally dont think should be teaching - but I am VERY grateful that they stepped into the breech. I am still unclear as to what happened the other week. I know the last week went to plan with a very small club competition.
I can only do so much - the rest of my club committee,(all one of them) is useless. The amourere is a darling however. I still have to do our AGM stuff for this year...I suspect we will be on warnings next year re organisation. Its a student club - thus has to be run by a student body. I am so worried about what will happen when I submit (likely to be Sept 2008) as I may not be around after that.
I am not really looking for advice or anything (except maybe how to get my secretary to be useful instead of a lump of an epeeist with a temper) I just wanted to vent to ppl who get it.

Zelda, I don't know how the rules of the university work but what about bringing in non-university fencers who might be a bit more serious. Like maybe forming an alliance of sorts with a local fencing club? That might also provide stability as students cycle through but some members stay.

lanyingjie · 12-18-2007, 08:59 AM

I feel your pain.

I started my college's fencing club this year and it seems my ExCo's relatively fragile, with a couple who broke up inside, one as a secretary and the other as my captain, plus a treasurer who's rather green to financial affairs, so we're a bit sticky with money right now.

But I choose to believe in my ExCo, because they've stuck with me through all the **** the school's thrown at me of lack of support, money and whatever. I'll stick it through with them.

Oh well, good luck!

tdwg83 · 12-18-2007, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lefty_monster

Zelda, I don't know how the rules of the university work but what about bringing in non-university fencers who might be a bit more serious. Like maybe forming an alliance of sorts with a local fencing club? That might also provide stability as students cycle through but some members stay.

My former club has tried that and some of our most dedicated are from the community. The current president is a high school student taking a couple of college classes and is their for eligible to hold office. However this is one of those towns that doesn't have much besides the University so there is a relatively small population base to pull from.