Forming Bonds: Introducing KLU's Social Committee
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For many students, the social aspect of university life enjoys as much as importance as the academic: university is a place where they forge partnerships and make life-long friends. KLU Bachelor of Business Administration student and Social Events Committee co-lead Nima Nami very much understands the importance of balancing hard work with fun, explaining that his club’s events not only help students get to know each other, but provide welcome relief from study.
How did you get involved in the social events committee?
Last year I was helping out and selling tickets for an event and then when this year came around all of the people that were in charge had left, so there was nobody to run the club anymore. I saw an opportunity to take charge and that's how I got into it.
What kind of activities is the social events committee involved in?
For us, the main goal is to provide students with opportunities to get to know each other, and the second is for them to kind of have a break from studying. So, we create these events where they can have fun and it’s more relaxed compared some of the other clubs, which are more career-based. Since I took charge last semester, we have had five events. We had a chess tournament, a Welcome Back party, an international wine tasting event, a Secret Santa, and a Christmas trivia night. The biggest events were the wine tasting with about 60 participants and around 200 people came to the Welcome Back party, which we had in a club in Hamburg.
So how many how many events does the social events committee run each year?
Because of Covid, we had only one event in 2021, and then the next two semesters we had just one event again. I thought there's so much opportunity to make more events, and that's kind of what motivates me. I would like to do as many events as possible, but we have our budget. This semester we’re thinking of another chess tournament, and also another trivia night. Our team likes to incorporate different themes, so we thought something with an Easter theme, maybe like a Easter egg hunt, but so far it’s just those two events.
What responsibilities do members of the social events committee have?
As it’s event-based, you get assigned to an event and then you have to do the planning for it. Of course, it depends on the event and how extensive the planning needs to be, but one big aspect of each event is the marketing and the communication. If nobody signs up for it, then the event won’t take place. In my opinion, it's the biggest aspect of the planning. Then there’s the rest, such as catering for enough people, making sure the food and drinks arrives on time or finding the correct location and organizing the specific equipment needed.
Do you do some research with the students about what kind of events they want in the future?
Sure, but it’s more unofficial, I would say. A lot of times we just ask people what they think of event ideas, or what they would like to see, as well as some general questions about what they like to help us generate ideas for future events.
What advice would you give students interested in joining a club?
I would say that the most important thing is to join something you enjoy doing. For me event planning and marketing, or the communication aspect where I have to get people to join events is kind of like a hobby because I enjoy socializing. The events themselves are so much fun to organize. I think the main message is to join a student club, regardless of which one, because student life really becomes so much better being in a club, since you meet people you wouldn't have met otherwise, and you can make students’ lives better.
Every student should really take the opportunity to join a club. Because The KLU is so small you can also start your own club which is really nice as it allows students to really focus on their passions rather than join a club they may not be interested it.