With APOGEE only a day away, a harried Yatharth Singh, CoStAAn of the department of Reception and Accommodation, managed to find time for a short interview with the press.

As the name suggests, the department’s main role is to provide accommodation for all outstation participants, sponsors, and other miscellaneous guests. They also arrange for inventory required by clubs and departments. These tasks are divided into smaller streams, which are then assigned to various members of the department.

Members in the ‘Tender’ stream are responsible for the procurement of inventory from various third-party vendors. They also deal with stall layout and set-up and obtain permissions from the Institute for the same. The ‘DC’ stream handles the day-to-day inventory needs of various departments and coordinates with members of the ‘Tender’ stream to obtain the required items. A member is also responsible for providing accommodation to non-participating guests at various hotels in and around Pilani. The ‘MatD’ and ‘MatC’ streams handle mattress logistics. Mattresses are distributed to the various common rooms and are recollected shortly after the fest.

This year, the department has merged the ‘Tender’ and ‘DC’ streams, reducing the logistical issues involved with inventory counts. Yatharth is hopeful that this change will lead to a reduction in inventory losses.  Fail-safe measures involving the serial numbers of currency notes are going to be implemented on caution deposits to reduce the risk of counterfeiting. To add to the festive air this APOGEE, RecNAcc will be putting up origami cranes and decorative lights in specific locations around campus.

Talking about his experience as CoStAAn, Yatharth claimed that he faced no major troubles. According to him, the CoStAAns were on good terms this year, and most issues were quickly resolved with full cooperation from the rest of the body. Minor problems included some troubles with VFAST accommodation and hotel bookings.

When asked about the sustainability of APOGEE as a standalone fest and a possible merger with BOSM, Yatharth dismissed the possibility. He stated that a technical fest was a must in an engineering university, and that it was logistically difficult to hold sporting events at the same time. Sponsorship issues, lack of accommodation, and a need for the complete reorganisation of most departments would make the merger an impossibility.

Yatharth stressed on the need for more BITSian participation and involvement in APOGEE. He stated that workshops and training camps had been organised throughout the semester to make previously niche events more accessible to BITSians. He also requested students to stay on campus and enjoy the fest, either as participants or spectators.