Matthew Wilkinson
Personal Email: <m.d.wilkinson AT SPAMFREE mac DOT com>
Compsoc Presidency Manifesto
NOT FINISHED YET do not read
Who am I?
Hi, my name’s Matthew, also known as “Azrel” on the web. By day I’m a first year Economics student, by night I’m a programmer. You can find more information about me here: http://www.thestudentbar.com/members/5165
Why am I running for president:
I genuinely have a passion for computing, and by extension, I want to get more involved in Compsoc, because I think it has allot going for it.
== What I propose to do: ==
Here is what I propose to do:
Accessibility
I think Compsoc is a wonderful society, but it needs to become more accessible to new members. There are three aspects to Compsoc I think which lack in accessibility:
Firstly, I think the compsoc website needs redesigning to meet the following criteria; friendly to use, well organised, and have an appealing design. The current website is very functional, but its not very friendly. We have some very talented developers; like Damien O’Neill, whom can update the website to make it more friendly.
Secondly, I think it is very distracting to have constitutional affairs being brought up, I propose to consolidate the constitution, the constitution will be made very simple, if problems do arise then we’ll just have to resolve it like adults.
And thirdly, I think mailing lists are great, but a better way to discuss Compsoc related issues is through a web forum. Mailing-lists are quite antiquated, and difficult to organise properly. A forum would help people properly communicate with each other in an easy to use fashion. It would also help divert some of the “Compsoc spam”, away from peoples inbox.
A human face
Every society should have regular socials, Compsoc is no exception. I would organise regular socials to somewhere like origins. Most Compsoc members talk on IRC, but it’s also nice to talk in person too.
Fun events
Like most people reading this manifesto, I’m interested in technology; what’s happening, why, when... etc. What I would really like to do with the Compsoc funds is spend it on trips to various Linux, Microsoft and Apple events in the UK. Events like http://guadec.org, are very accessible to us students, because we get big discounts. I would leverage all my power to make sure we get cheap prices on events like these.
I will also push for events where guest speakers come to the University and speak. These events will be free to members, but not to non-members. As an example of what I'm thinking of, have a look at this: http://www.ox.compsoc.net/events/termcards/current/
New ideas
I also propose we get some sort of basic “netgames” website running, which details user-submitted information about computer games on the network. Every one likes playing games, but its so difficult to get a big game organised. The netgames website will provide a medium for people to organise their games on the network with a big audience. I will make sure it is properly advertised around the campus so that everyone is aware of its presence.
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