rmdir /s /q "C:/Users/Ray" | Newsletter T2 W8

Dearest nerds, goblins, and generally caffeine-fuelled entities,

All things must come to an end, and with the AGM this week, this is most likely my last newsletter of my year as Secretary 👋. After a year of silly newsletters and terrible puns, I am finally free! After this, I will ascend to a higher plane of existence (touch grass), and will be replaced - but good news! You get to choose my replacement (and it could be you).

The AGM provides solace to the exec who have been traumatised by a year in their positions - we are replaced by the brave souls who volunteer themselves to take up the mantle of their predecessors. If you want to wield unchecked power (ban privileges in the UWCS Discord), or just want to put "UWCS Exec" on your LinkedIn (please don't do this), nominations are open until the AGM, and you can even stand on the day!

On a slightly more serious note, there are events happening this week before I Alt + F4 out of this position, and the tickets for the UWCS ball will be out on Friday 28th February at noon! Keep your eyes peeled for an announcement in the Discord.

As always, we have our wonderful welfare officers here to help you if you encounter any issues: Serene (@thiswasdumb) and Raven (@raven0034)

🍔 Pub Meal 🍔

🕘Monday 24th Feb 7pm-9pm📍Phantom Coach

Pub the idea, vs pub the event

Why do we write about the pub meal, when it happens the same every week?

Because the merit of the pub exists not in spite of its regularity, but because of it. A timeless classic, the choice to repeat it represents the core values that bind UWCS together.

First, alcoholism*. Among our many flaws as a society is a deep, unwavering dependency on the addictions that keep us going - and above screens, caffeine, and nicotine, booze reigns supreme. Secondly, tradition. Pub represents the last bastion of shithousery in an increasingly boring world of academia and fancy society projects, that attempt to justify our funding and effort without truly encapsulating what the society is about. And finally, community. Pub is the lowest common denominator that unites all factions of UWCS. It brings in members old and young, loud and quiet, dead and dying. The guarantee of a pub trip on Monday evening, every Monday-ish evening (except that one Tuesday), is a foundation on which all other interactions within the society are based.

To ask "why pub?" is to ask why we ever do what we do, or in other words "What is the meaning of life?". And to that there can only truly be one answer. 🍺

* UWCS does not condone alcoholism in any capacity.

☕ Tea++ ☕

🕘Wednesday 26th Feb 1pm - 3pm📍Curiositea

Raven reprises Spiders Georg

Do you like caffeinated beverages? Do you like free* caffeinated beverages? Do you enjoy sitting around discussing completely normal topics, such as why Goliath Birdeaters are fascinating and totally not at all nightmare fuel**? Then congrats, you are legally obligated*** to attend Tea++.

We have secured 4 of the finest tables in Curiositea from 1 - 3pm for a drop-in event of pure, unadultered ✨ vibes ✨, where our wonderful welfare officer Raven can cast Fireball on all of your Warwick woes, no matter how small the room is****. If you want FREE DRINKS, pay attention:

There are 25 shiny golden tickets (£4-off tokens) available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you arrive later, you can still enjoy completely sane discussions, but you may, gasp, have to pay for your drink in full. The shiny golden tickets are redeemable on any drink of Curiositea's menu (which you can read in advance here), however if your total comes to more than £4, you will have to pay the difference (but it is still an absolute bargain).

* Terms and conditions apply. Drink not actually free if you get too fancy with it.
** Society is not responsible for any existential crises caused by discussions about Goliath Birdeaters.
*** There is no legal obligation to attend this event, this was a lie.
**** Our Welfare officer is not actually a wizard from D&D, but they'll do their best.

🗣️ AGM 🗣️

🕘Wednesday 26th Feb 6pm - 10pm📍PLT

Come for free pizza, stay to vote for the next sacrifices

(All of the serious AGM information can be found here)

Welcome to the most chaotic, thrilling, and life-changing event of the year - no, not your next all-nighter. It's the AGM of UWCS!

What's on the agenda? Glad you asked. We'll be reviewing all of the great triumphs of the society (I promise it was more than making memes and consuming pizza). We'll be hearing from the proposers of any constitutionally changing motions - hopefully there won't be any silly motions... And finally, we'll be graced by the brilliance of the poor souls who have nominated themselves to take over this circus*.

Want to be the next Treasurer, and spend all our budget on pizza? Maybe you like the look of being an Academic Coordinator, the noble souls who are responsible for ensuring the society does in fact have something to do with academics. Or possibly Secretary, where you get to pretend you know what's going on for an entire year. Nominations are still open, and not just before the AGM - in fact, you can even nominate yourself on the spot on the day. If you think you want to join the rollercoaster that is being UWCS exec, drop an email to president@uwcs.co.uk with your name (we kinda need to know who you are), student ID (so we know you're actually real and not a caffeine-fuelled apparition that appears after our millionth all-nighter of the year), positions you want to stand for, and a description of why you think you'd be good at the role (of at most 100 words).

But we're NOT DONE YET! There will be free pizza, pizza so good you could almost forget about your deadlines, to fuel your speeches. All you need to do is show up you can claim a slice or three of pepperoni perfection**. Who needs a sound strategy to secure a role when you have pizza and existential dread?

* Being UWCS exec is actually pretty cool.
** Other options will be available.

🎮 Friday Night Gaming 🎮

🕘Friday 28th Feb 7pm - Late📍CS Dept

A comprehensive analysis

Ah, the classic night of playing video games. Isn't it always mysterious that it takes place on a Friday? Surely it would be just as appropriate to place it on any other weekday, like Thursday or Tuesday. That certainly doesn't stop some other societies. Maybe it could even take place on the weekend. But what you fail to realise is Friday is special. It is the last day of the five-day working week, and so this event acts as a special celebration, a welcoming of the weekend inbound. A discarding of usual responsibilities, a sweet release in the form of digital streams of lights, that we collectively attach so much meaning to.

This brings us to the latter half of the event's title: Gaming. A hobby that lays so close to many a Computer Science student. It is not difficult to envision the correlation between such a social group and this hobby. Yet when gaming, many people are seen screaming at their screens in anger and frustration. Maybe gaming is not so much about the enjoyment, but again, the release of self-constraint and the allowance for one to let out their personal frustrations outside of the normal world, which asks people to keep a controlled manner at all times or face ostracisation. Nevertheless, despite such aggression, it brings people together, encourages teamwork and healthy competitive behaviour, and facilitates the possibility for people to grow their logical reasoning, hand-eye coordination, and analytical skills, depending on the player's choice of games.

So there it is then, this week yet another celebration of a week gone by, and the ability to let loose and grow ourselves in ways not permitted by our curriculum. Come together, and keep alive the flame of tradition in yet another instalment of Friday Night Gaming!

Note: one of our gaming coordinators has read this so-called "essay", and will be writing a counter-essay soon to express his disagreement with some of the above statements.

All jokes aside, I've loved my time as Secretary of UWCS. The AGM is a fantastic chance to get involved with the society in a fun and rewarding way, alongside an amazing team. The roles are what you make of them, and you won't be thrown into chaos without any help. I hope to see many of you at the AGM.

Personally, I've had the pleasure of writing these crazy, unhinged newsletters, and had the opportunity to meet some amazing people along the way. I want to sign off with one last thank you to everyone who's got involved with the society over the last year and made it such an incredible experience. However, the new Secretaries can write the week 10 newsletter 💀 - Ray :)