The science behind societies

Photo by Kit Moran

Societies are a great way to find people with common interests and goals.  For those who are unsure about what they want to do or have a broad range of interests, there are Type I societies.

Dalhousie has two types of societies. Type I societies receive student fees or levies directly from students, and include all academic faculty societies, like the Dal Science Society, and residence hall societies. Type II societies, or constituent societies, receive their levy or fee from their Type I umbrella society.

Every Type II society meeting produces a report on its constituent societies’ happenings and future plans. For this reason, umbrella societies are a great way to get to know what’s going on all over campus.

Umbrella societies also organize inter-society events. For example, the Life Sciences Committee brought 13 different societies together for the interdisciplinary *Smart is Sexy* trivia event last year.

Umbrella societies function to regulate an interacting body of constituent societies while also advocating for them within student politics. Representatives of constituent societies vote on student issues, which are relayed into votes at the Dal Student Union. This makes for a great way to engage with student-directed governance at university and can serve as an introduction to student politics.

Not only do these Type I societies function as way to bring all of their constituents together, they function individually as societies themselves. By completing fundraisers, promoting campus events and lobbying for better services at Dal, they offer many ways to participate in student life and activities.

*Still can’t find a society suited to your interests?  Start your own. You can find out more about how to start your own society at http://dsu.ca/startasociety.*