Out of Circle: Thoughts on engaging with societies at Warwick

Societies are arguably the bread and butter when it comes to engaging with community at university, and can make or break your enjoyment of university life. In my own experience, despite countless waves of trial and error throughout most of first year, I have yet to find a society that I resolutely feel a part of. This is what motivated me to write this article – to put emphasis on the things that leave some people stuck on the fence. Though this may not be how others feel about societies, when it comes to expanding their accessibility and approachability, those on the sidelines should be the primary demographic, in a similar way to considering “Widening Participation” as the inclusion of backgrounds normally excluded from university.

A key issue affecting many of the larger, and especially “academic” societies, is the oversaturation of drinking socials. There is a case to be made that these sorts of societies do run a variety of different events on paper. However, excluding speaker events (which are mainly for you to listen and ask questions), most socials are still geared towards pub environments. Drinking is unofficially central in these socials, and even if one decides not to drink, they’re faced with conversing in a challenging setting. Not all are attuned to the loud, crowded, and sometimes chaotic atmosphere of pubs. Consequentially, in the few non-drinking socials, being surrounded by those who already have friendships formed through drinking socials can reinforce the distance and isolation already internalised from feeling excluded from pub crawls and circling – it certainly has for me personally. The very act of drinking is sometimes intertwined with the society itself, giving the appearance of a “we take similar degrees and circle every Wednesday” society, rather than anything else. One society even highly recommended election candidates to come to the circle that week, showing how engrained the phenomenon has become.

If someone throws themselves into something in the middle of the year, it can be difficult to get into the groove of socialising

A welcome change would be to run more events that aren’t in a pub or circling, such as movie nights and discussions, removing the invisible, unspoken social norm that partaking in drinking events is a necessity. A culture that is more friendly to the sober and introverted would ensure greater participation and representation from a broader range of students, and they may be just as engaged with the society as regular circlers.

Regardless, societies specifically tailored to those who find it difficult in traditional social settings, such as Autism@Warwick and Warwick Enable, continue to offer a crucial space, where individuals can be themselves, free of social expectation and judgement.

Another hurdle arises when people opt to join societies later on. While some do have their dream story of finding the right group from day one, the reality is that others will only stumble into things later down the line. It is realistically difficult for societies to act like they’re welcoming newly arrived freshers 24/7, but if someone throws themselves into something in the middle of the year, it can be difficult to get into the groove of socialising. This is especially true if relationships and inside jokes are already fostered. This isn’t to suggest that people gatekeep on purpose – just that there’s an invisible barrier of entry that, for earlier arrivals, has already been broken down.

Small changes and more engagement is a vital first step to reaching such cases. Welfare officers shouldn’t have to work overtime, but from conversations with others, societies described as “inclusive” feel so, just by addressing the small details: whether it be checking up on everyone from time to time or turning the background music down a bit for karaoke. Something as simple as nudging someone into a conversation or activity could be the shift they need to go from walking away feeling empty-handed, to enjoying the moment and feeling included.

Societies shouldn’t shy away from actively opening themselves up to different kinds of people

Though this may be logistically difficult in larger societies, offering events that allow a platform to engage and express ideas outside of free-range socialising, can create less of a barrier to entry, by removing some of the immediate pressure of having to open up on the spot amidst a flurry of conversation. To illustrate what this might look like, The Anime and Manga Society runs a “member’s choice” night once every term. These sessions allow members the chance to pitch a show they like to the rest of the society, and possibly have the first few episodes shown. As another potential model, the Vocaloid Society has recently experimented with a “VocaYap” format (similar to Infodumping in Autism@Warwick), allowing members to present PowerPoints on a specific interest they have within Vocaloid.

Specialisation may also work to widen inclusion. If a society for a particular hobby or subject only offers certain avenues of engagement, other societies can step in to fill the gap. For instance, if you like debating, but don’t wish to enter into formal competitions in the Debating Society, Warwick Discourse offers a more informal setting that’s less pressurised. However, such initiatives can be problematic if the group willing to commit to the alternative is too small.

In the end, the experience of societies at Warwick varies greatly on the specific society and individual, but societies shouldn’t shy away from actively opening themselves up to different kinds of people. Ultimately, such an approach will expand the range of views and people committed to a society. This offers meaningful contributions and experiences that may otherwise be lost, especially for more niche passions, strengthening the unity and cohesion of the many groups of interests on campus.