Shenanigans!: A social club aimed at just having fun

By Mitali Pradhan, October 14 2020—

Shenanigans! is a club on campus with a focus on creating a safe and fun space for students to de-stress and take a break from classes to have some fun.

“In the past, many of our events were casual, high-energy games or activities – for example, tag, capture the flag, scavenger hunts, hide-and-seek in the Engg building, and sports days were iconic activities that define our club,” stated Scott Schuppler, co-president of Shenanigans!.

In a unique “reverse escape room,” the club hosted events where teams were sent around campus to solve puzzles like those in escape rooms. Ultimately, the aim of the activity was to find a passcode to re-enter the room teams started in. Despite COVID-19 preventing similar activities from being held, the club has responded creatively to continue creating a safe and fun space for students. Their initiatives with online party game nights, including Jackbox and Among Us, as well as online hangouts have been popular with members. As an exciting future event, the club is also hoping to create an online version of the “reverse escape room” to further engage students and capture the club’s unique creative and fun spirit.

The club has been on campus since 2014 and in 2016 had over 600 members. Unfortunately, the club went dormant in October 2017. Through student effort, the club re-registered in January 2020 and is now entering its fourth year as an active club.

“When I joined in my first year, I immediately felt welcomed, valued, and part of a special community,” stated Schuppler. “Since the club stopped its activities without warning, one summer a close friend and I were reminiscing about all the events we used to attend — right then, we decided we were going to start it up again from scratch so that everyone, especially newer students, can experience what we did in our first couple years of university.”

There are over 80 members currently and all students are welcome to join the club to de-stress from classes and engage in exciting activities. Regardless of interests or program of study, students are joined to have a fun time and meet new friends. Membership is also open to the public so friends outside the university and alumni can also attend club events. The club is taking applications for executive positions and interested students are encouraged to reach out by email or contact club executives through their ClubHub page.

The next event being hosted, a movie night open, is on Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. through the club’s Discord server. Rather than watching movies, member-submitted YouTube videos, including old vines, comedy sketches, and good memes, will be streamed. The event is open to everyone, but membership is free and encouraged.

Shenanigans! is also holding an online Halloween party starting as early as 6 p.m. on Oct. 30, also on Discord. The online party with spooky games and activities is the ideal event for everyone to show off their costumes.

“University at times can be stressful, exhausting, and even isolating; and online learning has certainly exacerbated these problems,” said Schuppler. “It’s important to take a break from school to balance it with some fun, and we truly hope this club provides a great way to de-stress, have fun and meet new people.”