The University's clubs and societies are looking forward to a full year of activities and gatherings after two years of devastating COVID restrictions.

Club life is a fundamental part of the UniMelb student journey. In the past two years, clubs have tried their best to navigate the ins and outs of COVID in the hope that students form everlasting friendships, study groups, networks, and ultimately have an enjoyable university experience.

Due to the many lockdowns, lots of students have never actually experienced club life before. Many eager clubs are hopeful that 2022 is going to see the re-emergence of the much-loved club life and an opportunity to reconnect students who have become disengaged.

“Most clubs will be aiming to reach out to students to help engage them in university life,” said Bella Henry*, an active member and executive of multiple UMSU clubs.

“Many students have missed out on the 'university experience' and clubs will definitely play a central role in re-establishing this experience!”

COVID has already thrown multiple curve balls this year, which may complicate these plans.

“Balancing the never-ending considerations of density limits, student safety, [and] fun club activities… will be difficult,” added Bella.

At the end of the year, club executives do a handover to ensure the incoming committee know how to hold events, and complete grant applications and compliance tasks. But many of these committees have very little experience with running in-person events, so cannot pass on the wisdom.

So what happens if clubs don’t have adequate handovers?

“The wonderful people in UMSU provide training for all club executives to hold in-person events, especially during … COVID,” said UMSU Clubs and Societies Officer Benito Di Battista.

“Whatever the potential challenges are, we will ensure that communication is succinct between clubs and everyone knows what our aims and goals are moving forward!”

Moreover, even with the uncertainty of 2022, clubs can still utilise the online world to their advantage.

“Even though we may be online, we have exciting new ideas that will benefit our members,” said Scott Carter, a newly elected executive for the Cheese Club.

Bella also remarked that “social media can play a massive role in helping to engage with students, such as online competitions and giveaways”.

There is a level of uncertainty for club life in 2022. However, no matter what challenges COVID restrictions may cause, the re-emergence of club life (online or in-person) in 2022 is inevitable and will certainly be a worthwhile experience for all.

If you would like more information on clubs and societies on offer, check out UMSU’s comprehensive club listing.

The UMSU Clubs Expo will happen over four days in Week 1, Semester 1 as part of Summerfest. You can find out more here.

*Bella Henry is now temporary UMSU Activities Officer until a by-election can be called, following the resignation of Anisha Bunsee.

Image provided by the University of Melbourne.