Societies
at NUI, Galway
Since the foundation
of this university, societies have been at the centre of student life on campus.
It is their vibrancy, exuberance and energy that have made this university
renowned for its collegiate life and spirit.
They are one
entity within the walls of our university that has remained constant.
From
Queen’s College Galway to University College Galway, and now to our new
corporate image - NUI, Galway - societies have remained true to their purpose:
to provide a non-academic, social outlet for students. To engage the students in
activities that develop skills and talents that at one time enhanced a career
almost as much as your degree.
Over the past
number of years many articles have been written on the dwindling crowds at
meetings, the over-burdening emphasis placed on course work leaving little time
for societies, and the lack of resources… and this year is no different! However
I don’t feel that these are the issues that threaten the position of societies
on campus.
One of my first
memories of university life wasn’t getting lost going to lectures or the nerves
of my first day. My first memories were of Gibs’
Night. I looked on in awe at the men in Black Tie and the girls in black
dresses, thinking that I wished I belonged. For one evening I lived in a
different world and from that evening on, a little of that world has lived with
me.
One of my
greatest concerns is that every year the new students that enter into the world
of societies, as first years, are no longer enchanted, do they look on in wonder
and awe, as I did? Or are they already planning their auditorial acceptance speech? The ‘new’ student is no longer
satisfied to start at the bottom and work their way up, to feel a great sense of
pride and importance on getting your first committee position. They sit on
several committees not content to ‘belong’ to one society forgetting that
loyalty is a noble attribute which is fast becoming an old-fashioned
concept.
At the end of
yet another year when you look back you realise that many of the same problems
that existed fifty years ago still exist today. While many attempts have been
made to ease these problems, the upper echelons of this university have
continually failed to fully address these concerns. Until such time as the
university recognises the vital importance of societies, societies will continue
to suffer. Each society tries to achieve its aims but is often thwarted by the
bureaucratic accountancy approach that leaves many projects
unfinished.
Every year a new
layer of bureaucracy is laid down, new policies devised and more obstacles put
in the way - and indeed 2002–2003 was no exception. Yet societies continue to
survive, glued together in the knowledge that to a certain extent we are all in
the same boat. Sitting down together trying to find the solutions, the feeling
of excitement when you think you’ve finally cracked it, sitting back in the
familiar leather couches on a Thursday night toasting the new found solutions
with the scent of Hennessy warming the air. Despite all the problems, all the
obstacles, it is that great sense of pride you have in your society and indeed
the great friendships along the way that make every moment
worthwhile…
Susan Treacy
Societies’
Chairperson