The U of C’s most obscure clubs
By Evan Lewis, September 22 2017 —
With over 300 clubs calling the University of Calgary home, there’s probably someone out there with the same interests as you, no matter how niche you might think they are. It can also be easy for some clubs to slip under the radar with so much competition.
The Gauntlet scoured Clubs Week to find some of the most obscure clubs on campus. These range from fun to downright bizarre, but we’ll let you decide which clubs belong in which category.
Have you ever looked at your garden and your fish tank and thought, “These would be so much better if I just put one on top of the other”? The Aquaponics Society did. They grow plants on top of an aquaculture full of fish, snails and other sea creatures, which provides a lot of benefits for both forms of life. This club has a passion for putting these unique systems together.
If you have a green — or blue — thumb and don’t mind hearing “huh?” every time you say the name of your club, this might be the place for you.
Europe is too expensive, South America is too hot, and everything in Australia can kill you. For those of us who are too poor, too busy or too attached to home to go travelling, TAKEOFF! is a club that organizes gatherings around Calgary to encourage exploration and reignite an interest in everything unique about the city. The club allows members to explore Calgary with new eyes. You could also just go to the top floor of Social Sciences and look at downtown skyline from there. It’s not quite the same, but you get the point.
The best way to describe Shenanigans Club is that it’s like recess for grown-ups — if you want to call university students that. They play board games, hide and seek and capture the flag. More importantly, they encourage inclusivity and respect above anything else.
If you need to relax and de-stress — which you probably do — it’s free to join and everyone is welcome.
This club promotes and practices Wushu, a prominent Chinese martial art form that you might know as “Kung Fu!”. For an entry fee of $10, they provide a space to train and instruction in Wushu itself for those who want to be a bit more like Jet Li. Their profile on orgsync also promises to “work you till you shit your pants.” If that sounds up your alley, I’m sure they’ll welcome you into their fold.
I don’t always take an interest in comedy groups, but when I do, they usually have “meme” in their name.
While some comedy clubs focus primarily on stand-up or improv, this group has a wider focus. They “fight stress with weaponized memes and quality comedy,” according to their profile on Orgsync. Their comedy events work to raise awareness for important issues. If this club seems too good to be true, we promise this is no Rick Roll.