One for all
Five clubs you may not have heard of yet
The University of Winnipeg is home to dozens of campus clubs and community groups interested in everything from saving Mother Earth to riding on broomsticks.
Joining one of these social circles is a great way to meet new people and learn outside the classroom, while maybe even kicking your Netflix addiction (at least temporarily).
A full list of all the student groups is available at theuwsa.ca.
CLAIM TO FAME? “We’re Winnipeg’s only quidditch team and we’re looking to compete in the national competitions in the spring. We want everyone to come try this sport. It’s fantastic.” – Jasmin Winter
WHO CAN JOIN? “Anybody can join. It’s a gender-integrated sport – it’s co-ed. Any age, anybody who can come.”– Winter
WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM OTHER CLUBS? “Most people when they think quidditch, they automatically think Harry Potter. It’s so much more than that. It’s an actual sport. We have our own governing community and tournaments and everything like that.” – Renata Hryndzio
WHAT’S YOUR BEST MEMORY WITH THE CLUB? “When I first tried out the sport, it was such a different, diverse sport. Being able to run around and score a goal just felt so good.” –Hryndzio
WHEN AND WHERE DO YOU MEET? Sundays from 12:30-2:30 p.m. at Gordon Bell Greenspace (corner of Portage Ave. and Broadway).
CLAIM TO FAME? “The club is all about providing students who are in forestry with networking opportunities, so they have chances to make connections and get an in for a job if they really like … We also do pub nights to do team-building exercises and we do tree banding … a lot of the elm trees on campus are kept nice and healthy because of us.”
–Heather Konopski
WHO CAN JOIN? “Anybody who is getting a degree in forestry, thinks they might like to get a degree in forestry or is just enthusiastic about trees.” -Konopski
WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM OTHER CLUBS? “It’s more for people who are into forestry whereas GESA (Geography and Environmental Students Association) is more for geography students, so it’s a wider umbrella. We’re a bit more specialized and we do a different variety of activities.” – Konopski
WHAT’S YOUR BEST MEMORY WITH THE CLUB? “Getting ready to go on one of the field courses and having every member in the club who had gone on (the trip) before be like, ‘No, don’t bring what’s on the supply list! Bring a hatchet instead. Dear God, bring a hatchet! It’s the most useful thing you’ll ever bring out there.’ And it was and I was so happy they told me that.” –Konopski
WHEN AND WHERE DO YOU MEET? Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. in Room 5L25.
CLAIM TO FAME? “Unlike a lot of the groups here, we open it up to not just the school, but anyone in the downtown – even all of Winnipeg. If anyone wants to try, (it’s) 45 minutes and they can come join us. It’s fun. It’s basically if you can talk, you can sing. If you can sing, you can join vocal jazz.” – Cody Oliver
WHO CAN JOIN? Anyone.
WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM OTHER CLUBS? “It’s very, very community-based and you don’t have to be a part of any specialized group – you don’t have to be in, for example, criminal justice or science to be a member of vocal jazz.” – Maggie Dimock
WHAT’S YOUR BEST MEMORY WITH THE CLUB? “Our conductor does one exercise which is supposed to utilize the back resonaters of your head. So what she does is she speaks in a Julia Child-esque voice to get those resonators working. So we just have conversations talking like Julia Child.” – Oliver
WHEN AND WHERE DO YOU MEET? Sundays at 1 p.m. in Eckhardt-Grammatté Hall.
CLAIM TO FAME? “We try to support history on campus and get students engaged … We do a bunch of history-related social events, so we’ll usually all go to Festival du Voyageur together. Last year, we went on a private, behind-the-scenes tour of the Manitoba Museum.” – Alex Judge
WHO CAN JOIN? “Anyone who’s taking a history course or if you’re not taking a history course, but you have a minor of major in history, you’re welcome to join.” – Judge
WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM OTHER CLUBS? “We’re smaller. It’s probably about five us of in the common room. We’ll have lunch and talk about things. It’s a good time.” – Sabrina Janke
WHAT’S YOUR BEST MEMORY WITH THE CLUB? “We went to the Hudson’s Bay exhibit at the Manitoba Museum last year and we saw a pair of seal intestine pants. They were like splash pants.” – Janke
WHEN AND WHERE DO YOU MEET? Every second Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in Room 3A39 (the history common room).
CLAIM TO FAME? “We focus on all the aspects of health – physical, emotional, mental, financial, sexual, all of them. And we have a lot of events going on throughout the year. So for example … during exam week, we bring in puppies for students to pet them when they’re being too stressed out.” – Melanie Daligdig
WHO CAN JOIN? “Anyone who wants to just thrive in all dimensions of health or if they just want to learn a little bit more about health and wellness.” – Danielle Sicotte
WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM OTHER CLUBS? “I think this is something we can all relate to – we all need to be healthy. We don’t necessarily go through the same things, but they’re similar. I think everybody can relate to (the club).” – Daligdig
WHAT’S YOUR BEST MEMORY WITH THE CLUB? “We did Eating Disorders Awareness Week last year and we asked people what they love most about their bodies. So that was really good because a lot of people were like, ‘Oh, you don’t really think about what your body does for you.’” – Sicotte
WHEN AND WHERE DO YOU MEET? There are monthly meetings, but times and locations vary. Message the University of Winnipeg Health & Wellness Peer Educators group on Facebook or Instagram for details.
Published in Volume 70, Number 4 of The Uniter (October 1, 2015)
