UCC Clubs and Societies

pn7xjrqy6fhta1

Well what have ye joined. When i say joined I mean that you actually go to meetings/trainings and that you havent just signed up.

UnionOfV

Photography, WARPS, SciFi & Dramat in order of how friendly they've been so far. I'm amazed by the number of people who haven't been to a single meeting despite signing to well over a dozen ^^

Buceph

UnionOfV wrote: »

Photography, WARPS, SciFi & Dramat in order of how friendly they've been so far. I'm amazed by the number of people who haven't been to a single meeting despite signing to well over a dozen ^^

o/

I'm a member of Warps and have been for years, and I've been to the photo-soc's first two meetings. Although with Warps I can't make it tonight, and only spent an hour or so playing games the week before. (When you've been hanging about for six years when people who rarely turn up do turn up you spend more time catching up than playing games.) You should really put your name down for Gaelcon. Conventions are awesome fun. Playing games all day (and all night if you want.) Then spending the night partying. All the while meeting gamers from all over the country. I've had some of the best weekends of my life at different cons. And they're cheap thanks to UCC.

UnionOfV

Buceph wrote: »

You should really put your name down for Gaelcon. Conventions are awesome fun. Playing games all day (and all night if you want.) Then spending the night partying. All the while meeting gamers from all over the country. I've had some of the best weekends of my life at different cons. And they're cheap thanks to UCC.

I decided against seeing as I haven't really played any rpg's before :pac: I wouldn't think it'd be advisable to start in the middle of a large con!

insinkerator

I signed up for a few through the Collegeroad website, but i havent been able to make it to a meeting yet, they all seem to be on days i am working

Havent gotten anything from the kayaking club yet, which is what i am most interested in.

sleepyescapade

I joined the photosoc. That's about it!

brian1991

SVdP, Sci-Fi and Photography. I really want to go to an Amnesty International meet-up though. Does anyone here know when and where the next one is? Thanks.

samf

brian1991 wrote: »

SVdP, Sci-Fi and Photography. I really want to go to an Amnesty International meet-up though. Does anyone here know when and where the next one is? Thanks.

Unfortunately Amnesty Soc are currently inactive and need to hold an AGM before they can hold events for the year. PM me if you (or anyone else) is interested in restarting the society and I'll point you in the right direction.

titan18

Netsoc and I'm Webmaster for FilmSoc

whelpy

Fencing. All i'll say is if you're a girl, don't ignore the coach about wearing a chest protector

Byron85

samf wrote: »

Unfortunately Amnesty Soc are currently inactive and need to hold an AGM before they can hold events for the year. PM me if you (or anyone else) is interested in restarting the society and I'll point you in the right direction.

Is there even anyone around who was previously involved with it?

Banjo Fella

This year I've joined Art Soc, Film Soc and I'm on the committees of Physoc (master of the webs) and Netsoc (former poster-making guy who now helps out occasionally).

I'd love to take part in the Choral Soc and Photography Soc, but it's hard to fit in everything during my final year. Bah, stupid linearity of time.

samf

Byron85 wrote: »

Is there even anyone around who was previously involved with it?

Yep - some people from last years committee have been in touch about it this year, but so far its still inactive so someone just needs to restart it. I can put ppl in touch with those that contacted me if interested.

Dave1711

Ultimate Frisbee!

Buceph

UnionOfV wrote: »

I decided against seeing as I haven't really played any rpg's before :pac: I wouldn't think it'd be advisable to start in the middle of a large con!

That's your call, but I wouldn't worry about it. If you have the time and they're heading to Dominicon you might try going to that. It's a smaller con in Maynooth and has a lot of benifits for first time con goers. It's not in Dublin so you won't spend half your time traversing a city. The con as it's smaller can be friendlier. And with the small aspect people can take time to ease new con goers into it. Tabletop gaming is such a niche hobby that most people are delighted to indulge a new player, and see them through it. And there's nothing like immersing yourself in a gaming environment to get up to speed. And if you don't meld with the gaming straight away there's walks around campuses, coffee and tea, food, drink, nerdy tv, lego, and computer games (I think a few of warps have won Super Smash Brothers Brawl tournaments and been cheated out of Rock Band wins.) Either way, cons are awesome fun.

mariebeth

I put my name down for the Equestrian club but they don't seem to do anything? Apparently you can get concession lessons at Hop Island but I'm too happy with the place where I go already so probably won't go down there for lessons.

pn7xjrqy6fhta1

Any of ye playing golf or table tennis?

Max001

As a trainee psychologist, I was looking forward to joining Mind Matters, however for reasons that the Societies Guild refuse to make public, Mind Matters' application to join the Guild was rejected. :rolleyes:

x43r0

Max001 wrote: »

As a trainee psychologist, I was looking forward to joining Mind Matters, however for reasons that the Societies Guild refuse to make public, Mind Matters' application to join the Guild was rejected. :rolleyes:

The Societies Guild are not obliged to make internal decisions public just like any other organisation. The decision was made between The Guild and those who put together the application. If you're that concerned you can get in touch with the applicants and they might fill you in.


If you're eager to get involved with mental health issues you can email the welfare officer Pádraig Rice at welfare@uccsu.ie

I'm sure he's looking for volunteers to help with mental health week which is coming up.

Also Sláinte Society and the Psychological Society are running a campaign to highlight SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). You can offer your services by contacting either slainte@uccsocieties.ie or psychological@uccsocieties.ie



So chin up, theres lots of ways to help out

Max001

x43r0 wrote: »

The Societies Guild are not obliged to make internal decisions public just like any other organisation. The decision was made between The Guild and those who put together the application. If you're that concerned you can get in touch with the applicants and they might fill you in.

If you always do what you've done, you'll always get what you've got. Why the need for secrecy? After all, isn't it public money thats being allocated? Is the Guild subject to FoI requests I wonder?

x43r0

Have you ever contacted the guild yourself to find out what the story was?

Max001 wrote: »

If you always do what you've done, you'll always get what you've got. Why the need for secrecy? After all, isn't it public money thats being allocated? Is the Guild subject to FoI requests I wonder?

According to the FoI Act:
Subsection (1) of Section 20 provides that access to a record relating to the deliberative processes of a public body may be refused.

Max001

Obviously. :rolleyes: I contacted the grand wizard of the Guild, who funnily enough spouted almost exactly the same excuse as yourself....'not obliged' blah de blah...can tell you, but then have to kill you, whats the password and secret handshake....yadda yadda...ZZZzzzzzzz

x43r0

Max001 wrote: »

Obviously. :rolleyes: I contacted the grand wizard of the Guild, who funnily enough spouted almost exactly the same excuse as yourself....'not obliged' blah de blah...can tell you, but then have to kill you, whats the password and secret handshake....yadda yadda...ZZZzzzzzzz

Obvious troll is obvious

Max001

Sincere apologies if you were genuinely trying to be helpful with your earlier suggestions. I thought Mind Matters had a lot of merit and instead of shooting it down, the Guild could have worked with that group to frame a better entity, if they thought as originally conceived it was missing something. Why does innovation have to be sooooo hard at UCC

x43r0

Fair enough. You came across very poorly.

The problem with the application was that the issue of mental health is within the remit of the welfare portfolio. Also, one of the automatic killers of an application is if the proposed society only serves a single issue. Mind Matters would have dealt with the issue of mental health.

But tbh the second point is almost irrelevant because the first point is grounds for refusal before you even begin to discuss 'single issue' or not.

It is within the role of the welfare officer to promote mental health awareness and not a society.

Thats the black and white of it. Hopefully you can understand now why the application was refused society status

Banjo Fella

It would be disappointing if the Mind Matters soc really was rejected for such arbitrary reasons.

Mental illness is a very sensitive issue, one where you want to have as many options as possible available to those suffering from it. It would be a shame to restrict the accessibility of support just because the SU legislation says so. Mental Health Week is a good start... but it would be fantastic to have a dedicated group of peers to turn to during the rest of the year too.

Mind Matters could have worked together with the Welfare Officer to effectively raise awareness of the help that's on offer for those who need it. It could have been a great way for students to meet up with each other and share their experiences with mental illness and their ways of coping with it. Support groups can help you realise that you're not alone, and that little bit of strength can be enough to encourage someone to try counselling, etc.

Buceph

I don't know who is advising the guild anymore but the single issue aspect of societies was always to stop societies with very specific goals, case in point being any society aimed at a "pro-choice" stance. If you think classifying Mental Health issues as a single topic, then there are loads of societies who are single topic societies as well. And there are a few who fall under the remit of the SU Welfare officer. The most obvious example of both being the LGBT, because they're just interested in "gay" stuff, and sure the welfare officer deals with that. Of course you can go the other direction to the LGBT and look at Iona, they look at religion and have an entire department dedicated to them. What about the International Students Society? Sláinte (Public Health)?


So it's clear the guild don't even understand what their own rules and precedents are.

And even worse, for a number of years the guild were actively (well as actively as the could) looking for people interested in starting a mental health society.

Edit: The Pirate Society was approved because they said they'd show films and have treasure hunts!?! A pirate society?!? An entire society based on Pirates of the Carribean, it's not possible to get more single issue than that, and it was approved.

Max001

Buceph wrote: »

Edit: The Pirate Society was approved because they said they'd show films and have treasure hunts!?! A pirate society?!? An entire society based on Pirates of the Carribean, it's not possible to get more single issue than that, and it was approved.

It so funny you gotta laugh, but really, if you suffer from mental health or general disability issues in a society where equality is paid lip service at best, it ain't no laughing matter. What kind of ass backwards Guild will approve a Pirate Society but not Mind Matters? Would the Guild President please explain that?

As another poster rightly said, when you're in difficulty sometimes all you need, is to talk with your peers and have confidence they understand what you're talking about. Mental illness is incredibly isolating as well as stigma laden. For all the alleged training of the Welfare Officer, they'll only be a jack of all trades at best, so why not encourage specialist peer led societies? I'm unsure of the exact stats, but I think I read somewhere recently that roughly 10% of the population experience mental health issues or are experiencing. If you assume this for a second and apply it to the UCC student body, then surely the case is made for such a society?

Personally, I'd rather my tax euros went to Mind Matters, than Capt Pugwash and his merry band :rolleyes:

UnionOfV

ignore.......

Max001

UnionOfV wrote: »

Because Mind Matters is a therapy course and not a society. Maybe if you had actually signed up for the course or at the very least read what it was about instead of bitching about the Societies Guild you wouldn't be making such bizarre complaints in this thread. /troll

Thanks to X43R0 for the explanation of why Mind Matters' application was rejected. I still say the decision reflects very badly on those who chose to occupy student office in UCC.

OnionofV......not a clue what you're babbling about.

UnionOfV

Max001 wrote: »

UnionofV......not a clue what you're babbling about.

Ugh trust me to confuse Mind Matters with Life Matters Sorry people not enough sleep...

panda100

Buceph wrote: »

Edit: The Pirate Society was approved because they said they'd show films and have treasure hunts!?! A pirate society?!? An entire society based on Pirates of the Carribean, it's not possible to get more single issue than that, and it was approved.

Is there seriously a Pirate society?

I can't believe there's a pointless hot beverage society,yet the society's guild rejected something as important as a Mind Matters society. It appears to me that the guild just wants society's of a frivolous nature, pretty depressing considering university is meant to be about provoking discussion, thought and new ideas.

samf

panda100 wrote: »

Is there seriously a Pirate society?

No theres not - http://www.collegeroad.ie/societies/index.html

Cian92

Max001 wrote: »

Thanks to X43R0 for the explanation of why Mind Matters' application was rejected. I still say the decision reflects very badly on those who chose to occupy student office in UCC.

OnionofV......not a clue what you're babbling about.

I have to say MAx001 I completley agree with everything you have said so far. It is a disgrace that this guild rejected a society who would actually do some good for the campus not just organize piss ups.

I think this should be taken further. A few letters to newspapers, politicians etc. It would also be a much better use of tax payers money...
I think we should fight for the cause, rather than have a secretive organization (which we pay for) say what we can and cannot do.

LutherBlissett

As stated in Law thread not a UCCer, but I must ask, what exactly is a Hot Beverage Society?

Max001

samf wrote: »

No theres not - http://www.collegeroad.ie/societies/index.html

Pity really, cause I had images of a cast that was cross between Johnny Depp & Capt Pugwash all pissed on 'grog', singing Friggin in the Riggin. Oops, did I say that out loud? :eek:

Max001

LutherBlissett wrote: »

As stated in Law thread not a UCCer, but I must ask, what exactly is a Hot Beverage Society?

Actually, was wondering this myself. I suppose at one extreme it could be a collection of fops in tweeds and dear stalkers, pronouncing on uber expensive teas from obscure places, or coffees like the beans they feed to cats in Asia and then pick out of their sh!t, which is supposed to be the most expensive on earth. €100 a cuppa or more apparently.

Or at the other extreme, it could be a survivalist cult who drink each other's piss as practice for surviving Armageddon.

Or, maybe its somewhere inbetween. Fops drinking imported piss from aborigines?

Maybe someone can enlighten us?

Sorry, must go adjust my meds :eek:

Plautus

samf wrote: »

No theres not - http://www.collegeroad.ie/societies/index.html

Right. Except what you've not mentioned is that there was indeed a Pirate Society which the guild approved in 2006. Obviously the guild must have first placed Pirate Soc on probationary status and then outright withdrawn its approval in the intervening period.

But, as a general point, the argument that a particular society is too devoted to a single aspect or activity to be viable can be applied in a reductionist fashion to nearly every society that presently exists. I think it's a whitewash for why the application was in fact rejected; reasons either of finance and impending cutbacks; or the fact that such a sensitive area brought up duty of care questions (i.e. minefield of an ethical/medical nature); There's also the possibility that existing societies who saw it as their 'turf' so to speak made submissions against the proposal.

Either way, the reason given doesn't sound very plausible.

Edit: By the way, given that we have now not just a new Equality Officer position as an obvious adjunct to the Welfare Officer, but he also has loads of sub-officers, would this mean that there is no essential purpose to, say, the likes of the LGBT or Mature Student societies? Is it not the job of the equality officer to promote the issues affecting the aforementioned groups, end of?

You see, it's perfectly possible that Mind Matters could also have functioned as a meeting place for people with experience of and/or a mental health condition. All that Mature Students and LGBT purport to do, other than campaign for equal treatment and respect, is bring students of such backgrounds together.

Max001

Plautus wrote: »

Right. Except what you've not mentioned is that there was indeed a Pirate Society which the guild approved in 2006. Obviously the guild must have first placed Pirate Soc on probationary status and then outright withdrawn its approval in the intervening period.

But, as a general point, the argument that a particular society is too devoted to a single aspect or activity to be viable can be applied in a reductionist fashion to nearly every society that presently exists. I think it's a whitewash for why the application was in fact rejected; reasons either of finance and impending cutbacks; or the fact that such a sensitive area brought up duty of care questions (i.e. minefield of an ethical/medical nature); There's also the possibility that existing societies who saw it as their 'turf' so to speak made submissions against the proposal.

Either way, the reason given doesn't sound very plausible.

Edit: By the way, given that we have now not just a new Equality Officer position as an obvious adjunct to the Welfare Officer, but he also has loads of sub-officers, would this mean that there is no essential purpose to, say, the likes of the LGBT or Mature Student societies? Is it not the job of the equality officer to promote the issues affecting the aforementioned groups, end of?

You see, it's perfectly possible that Mind Matters could also have functioned as a meeting place for people with experience of and/or a mental health condition. All that Mature Students and LGBT purport to do, other than campaign for equal treatment and respect, is bring students of such backgrounds together.

Interesting. I love the smell of a conspiracy in the morning

C3PO ...... care to retort?