Club me ‘til I’m week

By Dean Hetherington

Clubs Week is a chance to open your eyes to a campus rich with culture from every corner of the globe, or delve into the two-dimensional world of tabletop gaming. You can dedicate yourself to a charitable cause or pledge your leisure time to watching Star Wars. 


It’s all yours to explore at the University of Calgary’s semi-annual Clubs Week, which showcases over 150 U of C clubs from Jan. 14–18 in MacEwan Student Centre. 


Recruiters, armed with colourful pamphlets and eye-catching displays, will be vying for new members to start 2013. Clubs have two or three days throughout the week to make their pitch.


“Clubs Week is a great time for students to get involved on campus,” said Students’ Union vice-president student life Hayley Wade. “It’s a great time for students to check out the 300-plus clubs that we offer.” 


With quantity comes diversity, as exemplified by fourth-year U of C computer science student Abi Oyewole, who is involved with Geeks United. 


“We watch Harry Potter, Star Wars, Dr. Who, all sorts of TV shows — anything geeky in general,” said Oyewole.


The Freethinkers Club was founded as a place to discuss non-religious philosophy.


“We just wanted something for secularists or non-believers for everyone not yet represented,” said Keynan Pratt, a fourth-year computer science student involved with the Freethinkers Club.


Clubs Week is a prime time to attract new members. 


“It’s a good way to make new friends,” said Oyewole of Clubs Week, but reveals a key problem with the event. “There are too many clubs right now so it’s hard to decide.”