Amidst a busy day, Navin Venkat and Vinayak Pandey — Signatories of the Corroboration and Review Committee (CRC) — sat down with the Oasis English Press to discuss their ongoing preparations for Oasis ‘23.
Vinayak explained that their primary responsibilities for the fests include advance reconciliation, reimbursements, tendering, budgeting, and planning expenditures for different clubs, remarking that budgeting meets and expenditure planning for clubs would begin shortly. He added that they are also responsible for tracking the cash flows during the fest. Navin highlighted that the committee’s primary duty is to ‘maintain financial transparency’.
Vinayak stated that besides working for Oasis and APOGEE, CRC also works year-round on the finances associated with various Students’ Union (SU) initiatives. He highlighted that CRC has been working towards standardising the many ‘informal procedures’ that go about due to the ‘outdated’ nature of the charters. He added that certain strides had already been taken in this regard, with the Oasis Charter being updated recently with reference to the Oasis Preview Meet. Navin assured the readers that by the end of their tenure, these procedures would be standardised, and proposed working with the SU Election Commission and other relevant stakeholders regarding the same.
They highlighted their intent to tackle the issue of fake signings during their tenure and were thankful for the administration’s cooperation with the same. Navin explained that various Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) pertaining to signings are under development, citing the rounds that CRC had personally taken during the pre-APOGEE ‘24 stock market analysis workshop as an example.
Navin and Vinayak expressed their continued satisfaction and excitement to work with the StuCCA, calling it a ‘smooth and collaborative experience’ so far. Navin emphasised their obligation and responsibility to revamp fest culture, which he opined took a hit due to the pandemic.
When asked about managing the breadth of work despite their small size, Navin explained that the rigorous recruitment procedure ensures that the chosen Volunteers are ready to tackle the immediate increase in workload. Vinayak added that the small size of CRC speeds up the decision-making process.
They proceeded to reflect on their experiences in CRC. Vinayak called his time hectic, while also appreciating the camaraderie and spirit of teamwork within the committee. Navin explained that being in CRC was ‘not one of the easiest jobs on campus’, but conceded to the irreplaceability of the problem-solving and critical thinking skills it imbibed in him.
They concluded by urging everyone to enjoy the fest as much as possible, stating that all this effort is ultimately put keeping students in mind.