The South West’s Best Student Publication
exeposé
FR
E
E
ISSUE 736 19 OCT 2022 exepose.com @Exepose
THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987
“Actions speak louder than words”: Investigation reveals University spent £180,000 on rebrand Image: Kieran Moore
Black History Month celebrations Page 5
A history of Exeter’s music scene Page 20
Senior Editorial Team and Jake Bonetta
A
A guide to Fixr and scamming Page 24
Images (top to bottom): Exeter Students’ Guild, Derek Harper Wikimedia Commons, Pxhere
N investigation by Exeposé has found that the University allocated £180,000 to develop their rebrand and take the project to launch in September 2022. This includes the consultation process, website rebrand and new the signs that have been placed around campus. The investigation also revealed that the project is only being funded with University funds. The University’s rebrand has led to a negative reaction from the majority of students who responded to our journo request. One student said that they “dislike[d] the new branding” and another suggested that “it looks cheap and doesn’t reflect Exeter university.” One student stated that they think the new logo “looks basic” and gives the impression “a new one [University] that’s popped up recently.” Commenting on the price
of the rebrand a student stated: “I think it was a complete waste of money, why change the branding?!” One student said that they think “it’s a horrible colour and looks super corporate” and that they could have “made better in 10 mins on canva!” The University had set up a consultation process at the end of the 2021-22 academic year. When asked about the consultation, students commented that the process “didn’t ask the right questions” as a result of it not being open “about the amount of funding with which the university wanted to spend.” Students also recalled that they didn’t “remember having any say in it [the rebranding consultation]” and “didn’t hear anything about it before it happened.” Commenting on the choice presented, one student stated that “They got students to pick between 4 identical designs that were all bad.” It was also noted by one student that the process “wasn’t open for very long” and that they wondered “how many people had the opportunity to contribute to it.” One student
expressed their disappointment that “they spent our money on this” with another suggesting that there “should have been a vote between the old and new logos.” Commenting on the process as a whole, a student suggested that they didn’t “think they [the University] were transparent about the costs or why it was needed, or how it would benefit us, the students.” When asked about whether the University was right to prioritise its spending towards a rebrand, students were quick to state that the University should “spend its funds in supporting the students” and that the University should have “focused on lowering prices, scholarship[s], welfare etc.” One student stated that the rebrand was “not a very good use of university money”. Another student stated that: “Actions speak louder than words (or branding, for that matter).” They went on to say that “The University would have been better served prioritising the issues which students continue to raise year after year, instead of meddling with the image
and sense of identity which so many students hold so dearly. A rebrand should not have been placed at the top of the agenda.” Students were also asked what other things the money allocated for the rebrand launch could have been put towards. One student suggested that there were “lots of other things [the University] could have spent the money on” listing things such as “access to mental health services, student facilities, subsidising food offerings on campus for students.” Another student suggested that the University should be focusing on “other issues right now, such as teaching quality, cost of living crisis affecting students and staff.” Another stated: “massive amounts of time, effort and our tuition fees have gone into this rebranding.” Commenting on affordability on campus, one student suggested that the rebranding “Shouldn’t have been prioritised” and that “cheaper meals need to happen even if we do all love a pret.” Continued on page 4