ISSUE NUMBER 1 / MARCH 2017
SOCIETIES NEWSLETTER Your bi-annual Societies update from Warwick SU.
www.warwicksu.com/societies
ISSUE NUMBER 1 / MARCH 2017
Welcome THE FIRST FEW MONTHS IN OFFICE Reflections from Societies Officer, Marissa Beatty
What is a Societies Officer? The Societies Officer at Warwick Students’ Union is one of seven Sabbatical Officers – or ‘Sabbs’. Sabbs are democratically elected by their peers to take on a full-time role in the SU, working to make positive change for students.
Each Sabb has their own portfolio, each focused on particular aspect of student life. The Societies Officer’s role is to support the 250+ student societies we have here at Warwick. Societies are a hugely integral part of the student experience at Warwick so it’s important that the Societies Officer works closely with colleagues in the SU and the university to ensure that all society Executive Committee teams have the resources they need to better the experiences of their peers. Whether it’s lobbying for a lecture-free Fresher’s week (which has now been secured), developing better training, working to streamline student-facing processes or encouraging the university to improve rehearsal facilities on campus – the Societies Officer is at the heart of pushing for these changes.
This year is going so quickly! It’s hard to believe that almost exactly one year ago, I was running around student accommodation blocks trying to convince students to vote for me to be their next Societies Officer. After some incredible campaigning efforts just last week, students have now elected their new 2017/18 Sabbatical Officer team. I am so excited to see what the new Sabbs achieve – particularly my successor, Niall – but for now I’ve still got 5 months of working hard and getting things done for students before I officially pass on the torch! Over the past 6 months it has been incredible to see so many ambitious students creating world-class conferences, award-winning productions and incredibly impactful social campaigns. All of our SU Societies are run by democratically elected Executive Committees (or ‘Execs’). From experience, being on a society Exec is like having a very rewarding but unpaid, full-time job. Considering this, it is amazing to see what these Exec teams achieve in such a short space of time whilst also trying to get a degree – their commitment and drive should be commended by all. At a time where new Exec teams are being elected and getting trained up for the year ahead, it seems pertinent to create a report that reflects on the achievements of the outgoing teams. This year we’ve seen a record number of attendance at society events as well as the launch of Warwick SU’s first ever society-specific campaign – Creative Warwick – alongside the Warwick Arts Centre and the University of Warwick. The bar has been set high, but I am confident that the next few months (and beyond!) will be even more successful.
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ISSUE NUMBER 1 / MARCH 2017
Edinburgh Fringe Festival Every year we see Warwick absolutely dominating at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, with studentrun theatre companies, alumni theatre companies and, of course, student societies performing top quality work to thousands of people over the course of the month. Warwick students have such a huge presence at the Fringe that there was even a lovely little guardian article written about them in 2015.
In my first month as Societies Officer, I went on my 5th annual visit to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I decided to extend my trip by a couple of days so I could dedicate some time to seeing Warwick SU Society productions from Warwick Comedy Society, Music Theatre Warwick (mtw) and Warwick Improvised Theatre Society (WITS). Every Warwick-born company had another extremely successful year at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – there were a stream of four and five star reviews being sent to me regularly! One of the alumni companies, Breach Theatre (which is formed of students who met through Warwick University Drama Society), even walked away with a prestigious Fringe First Award from The Scotsman for their production ‘TANK’. It is abundantly clear that we are very fortunate to have a huge amount of talent here at Warwick, and having the opportunity to witness this talent first hand both as a student and now as a Sabb is what sparked my motivation to organise Warwick’s first ever Fringe Festival which will be taking place in Term Three.
If you want to see what I got up to during my time visiting societies at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – you can watch the video diary here.
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ISSUE NUMBER 1 / MARCH 2017
WARWICK SU FRESHERS AND WELCOME TO WARWICK WEEK What Societies do on campus in the first few weeks of term!
Societies Council At the beginning of each term, the Societies Officer holds a Societies Council for members of Society Execs. The Council is a chance for the Officer to connect with the Exec members and to update them on any important information or changes. For the October 2016 Societies Council, we started the evening with a drinks reception to give Execs from different societies the chance to get to know one another.
The first couple of weeks on campus are always incredibly fun. The whole campus works together to welcome all of our new students, be they undergrads or postgrads, home students or international students. This year, we began the academic year with a ‘Welcome to Warwick Week’ which is in place to help all international students and home postgraduate students settle into their new environment before the home undergraduates arrive. Our societies contributed to the week by performing at the Closing Ceremony as well as by hosting taster sessions throughout the week. Once the home undergrads arrive in late September/early October, we then descend into ‘Freshers Fortnight’. This is a brilliant time on campus where societies run taster sessions, welcome events and run club nights in the Copper Rooms (the SU’s live music venue). The highlight of the fortnight for societies is the Societies Fair.
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Societies Fair Over the two days of Societies Fair, we had more than 10,000 students pass through the Sports Centre to meet the society Exec teams and to join up there and then. Each society is given a table and a pin board to decorate - some even give away freebies to attract the attention of new students!
ISSUE NUMBER 1 / MARCH 2017
From “Hornography” to “Tits & Giggles” – a selection of society events from Term One
Hornography
University Challenge Heats
Hornography is an annual student run event in Zephyr lounge that sees the University of Warwick Big Band takeover the nightclub venue for one night only just before Christmas. This year the Band played to a capacity crowd, performing traditional Big Band standards such as New York New York alongside fresh new covers of pop classics such as Love On Top and Rather Be, all arranged by members of the society. The event was a huge success for its second year, drawing in students and members of the local community alike, we can't wait for even bigger and better things next year!
Warwick Jailbreak
Hornography is an annual student run event in Zephyr lounge that sees the University of Warwick Big Band takeover the nightclub venue for one night only just before Christmas. This year the Band played to a capacity crowd, performing traditional Big Band standards such as New York New York alongside fresh new covers of pop classics such as Love On Top and Rather Be, all arranged by members of the society. The event was a huge success for its second year, drawing in students and members of the local community alike, we can't wait for even bigger and better things next year!
Tits & Giggles
Hornography is an annual student run event in Zephyr lounge that sees the University of Warwick Big Band takeover the nightclub venue for one night only just before Christmas. This year the Band played to a capacity crowd, performing traditional Big Band standards such as New York New York alongside fresh new covers of pop classics such as Love On Top and Rather Be, all arranged by members of the society. The event was a huge success for its second year, drawing in students and members of the local community alike, we can't wait for even bigger and better things next year!
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Hornography is an annual student run event in Zephyr lounge that sees the University of Warwick Big Band takeover the nightclub venue for one night only just before Christmas. This year the Band played to a capacity crowd, performing traditional Big Band standards such as New York New York alongside fresh new covers of pop classics such as Love On Top and Rather Be, all arranged by members of the society. The event was a huge success for its second year, drawing in students and members of the local community alike, we can't wait for even bigger and better things next year!
ISSUE NUMBER 1 / MARCH 2017
Spotlight on: Society-led Liberation Campaigns
Warwick Anti-Racism Society
Warwick Pride Pride plays a key role on campus fighting for the rights of LGBTUA+ people. Over the past year, we've organised an acronym campaign, Pride Week, and LGBTUA+ History month, as well as continuing our hugely successful work on gender neutral toilets, and providing a range of welfare services like safe sex supplies, coming out workshops, and the parenting scheme. We are committed to providing welcoming spaces for all LGBTUA+ people, but are also pushing for systematic change on campus and beyond. We firmly believe LGBTUA+ rights are human rights, and approach this work with care for our fellow marginalised communities.
Pride plays a key role on campus fighting for the rights of LGBTUA+ people. Over the past year, we've organised an acronym campaign, Pride Week, and LGBTUA+ History month, as well as continuing our hugely successful work on gender neutral toilets, and providing a range of welfare services like safe sex supplies, coming out workshops, and the parenting scheme. We are committed to providing welcoming spaces for all LGBTUA+ people, but are also pushing for systematic change on campus and beyond. We firmly believe LGBTUA+ rights are human rights, and approach this work with care for our fellow marginalised communities.
Warwick Anti-Sexism Society
Warwick Enable
Pride plays a key role on campus fighting for the rights of LGBTUA+ people. Over the past year, we've organised an acronym campaign, Pride Week, and LGBTUA+ History month, as well as continuing our hugely successful work on gender neutral toilets, and providing a range of welfare services like safe sex supplies, coming out workshops, and the parenting scheme. We are committed to providing welcoming spaces for all LGBTUA+ people, but are also pushing for systematic change on campus and beyond. We firmly believe LGBTUA+ rights are human rights, and approach this work with care for our fellow marginalised communities.
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Pride plays a key role on campus fighting for the rights of LGBTUA+ people. Over the past year, we've organised an acronym campaign, Pride Week, and LGBTUA+ History month, as well as continuing our hugely successful work on gender neutral toilets, and providing a range of welfare services like safe sex supplies, coming out workshops, and the parenting scheme. We are committed to providing welcoming spaces for all LGBTUA+ people, but are also pushing for systematic change on campus and beyond. We firmly believe LGBTUA+ rights are human rights, and approach this work with care for our fellow marginalised communities.
ISSUE NUMBER 1 / MARCH 2017
Spotlight on: Student Fundraising and Community Outreach
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RAG Week
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Happy Holidays SocSoc Socks Christmas Light Switch-On Hanukkah Diwali Lunar New Year
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Our 250+ Societies ABACUS Accounting Society Aerospace Africa Summit African & Caribbean Society AIESEC Airsoft Society Allotment Society Amnesty Anime And Manga Arabic Society Argentine Tango Society Art Soc Asia Careers Society Asian Society Astronomy Society Band Soc Belly Dance Society Bengali Society BFT Film Productions Bhangra Society Big Band BioSoc Bollywood Dance Society Brass Society Break Dancing Bridge Society Buddhist Society Bulgarian Society Careers Society Cantonese Society CathSoc Cheese and Chocolate Society Chem Soc Chess Society CHILD.org China Development Society China In Focus Chinese Society Chinese Orchestra Christian Focus Christian Union Circus Society Classics Society Climate Reality Forum Cobalt Magazine Cocktail Club Codpiece Theatre Comedy Society Comic Book Society Computing Society Conservatives Association Consulting Society Craft Society Croquet Society Cypriot and Hellenic Society Czech and Slovak Society Debating Society Dota Society Drama Collective Drumming Society East African Society Economics Society Economics Summit Education Society Effective Altruism
Emerging Markets Society Enactus Warwick Society Engineering Society Engineers Without Borders European Society FIFA Society Filipino Society Film Studies Society Financial Forum Folk Society French Society French Speaking Society Freshblood New Writing Friends Of Palestine Gaana Dance Society Game Design Society Game of Thrones German Society German Speaking Society Glee Society Go Society Good Food Society Green Party Harry Potter and Quidditch Society Healthy Society Hindu Society Hip Hop Society Hip Hop Dance: EQHO Hispanic Studies Society History Society Hong Kong Society Human Rights & Free Speech Hungarian Society India Forum Indian Classical Dance Society Indian Music Ensemble Indian Society International and European Law Society International Development Society International Relations International Venture Investment Forum Irish Society Islamic Society Italian Society Italian Speaking Society Jailbreak Jane Austen Society Japan Society Jewish/Israeli Society Kazakh Society Korean Society Krishna Consciousness Society Law Society Law & Business Society LeftiesSoc Liberal Democrats Society LINE Literature Society Lithuanian Society Mafia Society Malaysian Students Association Management Society Marketing Society Marxists Society Matchday Society
Maths Society Mauritian Society Medical Society Medsin Mind Aware Moroccan Society MORSE Society MUN Society Music Theatre Warwick Nigerian Society Nightline Nintendo Society Non-Aligned Leftist Forum Nordic Society Northern Society Offbeat Society Opera Warwick Oriental Performance Society Pakistani Society Pantomime Society Persian Society Philosophy & Literature Society Philosophy Society PhotoSoc Physics Society Piano Society Poker Society Polish Society Politics Society Portuguese Speaking Society PPE Society Psychology Society Punjabi Society Quiz Society RAG RaW 1250AM Real Ale Society Risk and Actuarial Society Rock Soc Romanian Speaking Society Russian Speaking Salsa Dancing Society Shakespeare Society Sikh Society Singapore Society Skate Society Sociology Society Spanish Society Sri Lankan Society St John Ambulance LINKS Star Wars Society String Orchestra Sustainable Development Society Swiss Society Symphony Orchestra Table Football Society Tabletop Games and Role-playing Society Tai Chi & Chigong Society Taiwanese Society Tamil Society Tech Crew TEDx Warwick Thai Society The Boar The Duke Of Edinburgh's Award Society The Flow Society
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The Writing Society Third Culture Society Tricking and Freerunning Society Travel Society UNICEF on Campus Vegan & Vegetarian Society Vietnamese Society Vintage & Upcycling Society Virtual Trading Society VocSoc Warwick Against Hunger Warwick Anti-Racism Society Warwick Anti-Sexism Society Warwick Association of Master Builders Warwick Atheists, Secularists & Humanists Warwick Bass Warwick Enable Warwick Entrepreneurs Warwick Finance Societies Warwick Globalist Warwick Improvised Theatre Society Warwick Inspire Warwick Labour Warwick League Warwick Magic Warwick Manufacturing Group Warwick Marrow Warwick Pole and Aerial Arts Society Warwick Pride Warwick Pugwash Warwick Scouts & Guides (SSAGO) Warwick Speakers Warwick STAR Warwick Student Cinema Warwick Tap Warwick Think Tank Warwick TV Warwick University Drama Society Warwick Volunteers Warwick Women’s Careers Welsh Society WHKPASS Who Soc Wind Orchestra Wine and Whisky Appreciation Women for Women International
ISSUE NUMBER 1 / MARCH 2017
Societies in Numbers
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ISSUE NUMBER 1 / MARCH 2017
CREATIVE WARWICK SUBTITLE Reflections from Societies Officer, Marissa Beatty
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“Creativity, now, is as important in education as literacy. And we should treat it with the same status [...] Children aren't afraid to be wrong [...] If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.” - Sir Ken Robinson, ‘Do schools kill creativity?’ TEDTalk (Jan 2007)
ISSUE NUMBER 1 / MARCH 2017
Spotlight on: Balls
Economics Ball, Lit & Lan Ball, Law Ball, ACS
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RAG Week
ISSUE NUMBER 1 / MARCH 2017
Spotlight on: Conferences
TEDx, ASEAN, Economics, Africa
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RAG Week
ISSUE NUMBER 1 / MARCH 2017
Spotlight on: Performances PRE-TERM PREPARATIONS FOR THE YEAR AHEAD Reflections from Societies Officer, Marissa Beatty
ISSUE NUMBER 1 / MARCH 2017
TITLE SUBTITLE Reflections from Societies Officer, Marissa Beatty
Societies Council
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At the beginning of each term, the Societies Officer holds a Societies Council for members of Society Execs. The Council is a chance for the Officer to connect with the Exec members and to update them on any important information or changes. For the October 2016 Societies Council, we started the evening with a drinks reception to give Execs from different societies the chance to get to know one another.
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ISSUE NUMBER 1 / MARCH 2017
Coming Soon… Key Dates •
12th March – Society Exec Handover Training
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19th March – Easter Holidays begin
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24th April – Term Three begins
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23rd June – Warwick Fringe Festival
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24th June – Societies Awards at the Crowne Plaza, Stratford Upon Avon
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