diff --git a/petitions/views.py b/petitions/views.py
index 86c527ccc405f6270909f55622607d7cfff08f70..662dc0774df2d0f75b77760951480c9522eafdc0 100644
--- a/petitions/views.py
+++ b/petitions/views.py
@@ -20,14 +20,17 @@ def petition(request, slug):
     if request.user.is_authenticated:
         is_signed = petition.petition_signatories.verified().filter(
             signatory=request.user.contributor).exists()
+        affiliation = request.user.contributor.affiliations.first() or {}
+        institition = affiliation.institution.name if affiliation else ''
+        country = affiliation.institution.country if affiliation else ''
         initial = {
             'petition': petition,
             'title': request.user.contributor.title,
             'first_name': request.user.first_name,
             'last_name': request.user.last_name,
             'email': request.user.email,
-            'country_of_employment': request.user.contributor.affiliation.country_of_employment,
-            'affiliation': request.user.contributor.affiliation.name,
+            'country_of_employment': country,
+            'affiliation': institition,
         }
 
     form = SignPetitionForm(request.POST or None, initial=initial, petition=petition,
diff --git a/templates/500.html b/templates/500.html
index 91403510f7c56414f89d263243fe1c4bbebce003..fea9d3baa473f2a2d2bda5ccd4cc497e8f613646 100644
--- a/templates/500.html
+++ b/templates/500.html
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@
 
 <div style="text-align: center;">
     <img src="//scipost.org/static/scipost/images/logo_scipost_RGB_HTML_groot.png" alt="SciPost logo" width="240" style="margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px" />
-    <h1>The server responded with an error.</h1>
+    <h1>We are sorry, something went wrong.</h1>
     <h2>500</h2>
-    <h3>We are sorry, something went wrong. The SciPost administrators have been informed.</h3>
+    <h3>The SciPost administrators have been informed.</h3>
     <p style="margin-top: 20px;">Go back to <a href="//scipost.org">the homepage</a>.</p>
 </div>