New Kids on the Block
It’s official! We have octuplets!
Last week the Clubs Support Committee successfully midwifed eight new university clubs into being (hooray!). But which babies are worth your time? Craccum helps you find the club for you…
Auckland University Chess Club
Craccum says: I would have thought it was mandatory to have a chess club at every university. Like Maccas after a big night out, or a slightly disgusting sexual encounter in a cheap students bar, chess clubs are a mainstay of any successful university. To whoever put this club together – well done. You’ve done the community a service.
Official Bio: A club to establish a place for chess players or interested students to connect on campus. To teach chess to players who are interested to improve and to host various chess activities for all levels of chess players and students. To organise and host other social activities alongside chess activities to further enhance the university experience for students. To establish as a New Zealand Chess Federation verified chess club in the future if enough members are interested to represent the university to compete in regional and national competitions.
Impulse UoA
Craccum says: Despite sounding like a shit-house body spray, this space-focused club actually looks pretty cool. Join this one if you like: rockets, space stuff, logos that look like a dick and balls.
Official Bio: The purpose of the group is to run a variety of events for the UoA student body relating to space, science fiction, astronomy and rocketry. We want to be able to build a community of space interested students in the university.
The New Zealand Orthopedic Education Group
Craccum says: Athlete’s foot your achilles heel? Into touching feet but too afraid to tell your partner? NZOEG is for you! Sign up to learn about all the different ways you can fuck up (or just plain fuck) an ankle.*
Official Bio: The primary purpose of the group is to provide additional education and exposure to the field of orthopaedics, not only for those interested in orthopaedic surgery as a career, but those interested in other areas of medicine such as general practice, emergency medicine, sports medicine and radiology… This group would help to provide students with additional learning opportunities around common and important orthopaedic related topics. Additionally, as orthopaedics is a surgical speciality there is also scope for some more surgical specific workshops to be done, such as a suturing workshop.
Consent Club
Craccum says: Next up: the Consent Club! (No, I don’t have the balls to make fun of this one.)
Official Bio: The Consent Club is a volunteer-run initiative that works on raising awareness about consent. We also do harm-reduction work at parties and festivals, by connecting people with resources and de-escalating potentially harmful situations when safe to do so.
Social Anthropology Society
Craccum says: Sick of being criticised for your degree? Taking up a masters to avoid facing the real world? Join SAS, a safe-haven for anthropology students who just want to stop being asked about their future job plans.
Official Bio: We are aiming to be a place in which Social Anthropology students are able to come together with those who share the same interests as them, and hopefully be a place in which students will be able to have fun and build a community. We would also like to give Social Anthropology students a place to get information and support, and hopefully cultivate an environment that promotes further study in the field.
UoA German Drama Company
Craccum says: Bier, Schnitzel und Schauspielunterricht – was will man mehr? Wir hoffen, dass diese Google-Übersetzung in Ordnung kommt!
Official Bio: To promote and support the German community at University and beyond. The GDC has been performing since at least 1977, operating previously with the support of the University German department. We have an extensive show history and positive feedback from our actors, which we are happy to provide on request. We are financially sustainable at the moment, and would likely only request University funding for special prop items or other new ideas. The main reason we are applying is to make room bookings easier and to legitimise our group.
University of Auckland Law School Running Club
Craccum says: Like expensive watches and telling bouncers your Dad could have them fired? Looking to lose weight but don’t want to join a fitness club full of proles? The University of Auckland Law School Running Club should be right up your alley! (Please note: members are expected to maintain a minimum level of smugness.)
Official Bio: The purpose of this group is to unite the Runners of Law School (of all abilities) to run together every Monday and Thursday as well as enter events such as the Waiheke Half Marathon and Auckland Marathon together. It will give the support and sense of community needed to push individuals to reach their exercise goals.
Auckland University Bhangra
Craccum says: Never heard of this dance before, but, having looked it up, it actually looks pretty fun. Hit up this club if: you don’t take yourself too seriously; are into dressing up; are down to hang out with a bunch of chill people from different cultures.
Official Bio: The purpose of this group [is] … to promote the dance form, Bhangra, of Punjabi culture from the Northern Indian region… [T]his group would be open for students and staff from all nationalities and ethnic groups. There would be no prerequisites to join the group… Bhangra can be seen as an aerobic exercise of moderate to high intensity that is suitable for most people who can do some sort of physical activity. As such, it has a number of benefits such as physical and mental wellbeing. It is perfect for those wanting to take a break from their schedule and do something fun; bhangra is a great stress reliever and energy booster.
* Author’s note: I’ve since found out I was thinking of podiatrists, not orthopediatricians. Orthopediatricians deal with muscles, not feet. Ah well. That’s what you get for having stupid names for things.