What to do on campus?

By now, most associations have ended their application and election processes and, with the numerous new babies frolicking about, they are ready to bring the campus the liveliness it deserves. This year, the assos have really stepped up their culture game – bringing events ranging from fancy balls to shatta parties. To help you navigate the assos’ future events, I have collected as many of their plans and ideas as I could in this article.

We all know that Sciences Po is an international campus, so it should not be a surprise that countless student initiatives are focusing on regional or national cultures. The newest of these is Le Ros Bif, an asso dedicated to bringing the UK back to the EU – of course, with their iconic British humour. If you want to get to know them, show up to the screening of The King’s Men right after the break, or attend their Bridgerton-themed ball on November 23. They are also organising a waltz workshop with Time to Swing to refresh your fancy dancing abilities.

If you are not particularly fond of Shostakovich’s Second Waltz, you can find some other opportunities to let loose too. Our very own ASPA and Le Seize are throwing an “Afro Trap” party in November, showcasing the continent’s music. With the BDA, they are also organising an event on November 21 to showcase African art of all forms. Similarly, Sciences Ô plans to throw a party to showcase the French Overseas Territories’ afro beats, shatta, bouyon, and dancehall genres. Le Seize is also planning an exciting collaboration with SPK to mix rap and eloquence, as well as a second Trap House in 2024, bringing rap closer to Sciencespistes. They have even been working on a magazine issue that is being published soon.

Obviously, Purple Haze will provide incredible live music as always. You can catch their performances at the Young Europeans Gala, the BDA showcase week, or at the BDE gala; all in November. To complete the musical landscape on campus, you can also listen to the performances of Sciences Pozart, our orchestra on campus. Conducted by Jean Denis, a local conservatory student, the orchestra will also play at the Young Europeans’ Agora on November 17, and they’ll have their concert in the Old Refectory on November 29.

Sciences Pozart will also contribute to the soundtrack of “Death and the Maiden,” a Dramathalia production planned for the first week of December. This will be the first of the many upcoming plays from our theatre asso, focusing on a woman and her torturer. But later you can watch “Mamma Mia!” or “Angels in America,” as well as “Le Père Noël est une ordure,” or “La Nuit de Valognes.” If, like me, you have no idea what the titles of the last two plays mean, you might want to consider bringing a friend to translate, as they will be in French.

As I said, this will be a busy year when it comes to culture on Campus. This is why I won’t be able to list all the assos and their plans. But there are still some events coming up that deserve a brief mention. From my interviews, Unframed had become probably the most sought-after asso when it comes to collaborations. Stay tuned for their movie nights with Interagir or Le Ros Bif in the near future. The same applies to Spice Po, the cooking asso. Rumour has it that they are planning many collaborations with La Strada and the Young Europeans, as well as with a rat named Remy…? La Strada also plans to organise a trip to Rome with all the Italian assos of the other campuses. I was told that Expose plans to have many fun events, but they decided to keep all their plans to themselves. The Champagne Tasting Club is less mysterious: they plan frequent tastings and additional visits to champagne caves.

Overall, the assos this year have made sure that we won’t have one week without some kind of event, or without a race to fill out a Google Form. So follow along and make sure not to miss out on the countless opportunities to come, whether that be learning about something new, or just letting loose at a Trap House party.