Society nights out truly are a strange concept. You leave your house, dressed in a costume so obscene that even you’re not quite sure what it was supposed to be, only to find yourself hours later entangled in the sweaty mess that is the ROAR mosh pit. It’s the immediate image that springs to mind, despite the ever-changing definition of what a society social looks like. Your reaction to the above mental image places you on either side of the fence in regard to what makes a good society social. For many, it’s an opportunity to have a great night out with your mates that leaves you with blurred memories of a good time. For others, it’s an excuse for people to pressure you into doing something you don’t want to, leaving you feeling humiliated and embarrassed.
It’s no surprise that society socials are considered a breeding ground for bullying. Particularly for drinking socials, there seems to be an unspoken rule that if you’re not getting wasted, you’re not having fun. Whilst this is paramountly untrue, many students feel like this prevents them from truly enjoying a night out, even going as far to convince them not to go. Some students feel that they have to go to these socials if they want to make friends, or simply feel at ease in the society.
Katie is a third year student who has been part of one of the University’s biggest sports clubs for over two years. She spoke about the pressure she has felt to engage in heavy drinking, particularly as a new recruit.
“I struggled to make any friends until I went on a night out, and I know people who have left the club because they aren’t big drinkers,” Katie said. “There’s always an unwritten pressure to go to socials, otherwise you’re seen as boring.”
This “unwritten pressure” is not uncommon. We’ve all been there, when your friend suggests one more drink, or everyones going out and you really don’t want to, but you feel like you have to. Some societies seem to thrive on this peer pressure, bringing in freshers in September and casting out the weak who can’t keep up. It’s the sad reality of university.
That being said, inclusion measures have ensured that this is no longer the universal uni experience. Every society at Sheffield must have an inclusions officer in order to run as a student group, somebody dedicated to ensure that everyone is welcome, no matter their attitudes to socials.
Nina is the Vice-President of English Society, a committee that includes one inclusions officer and three social secretaries to make sure the socials are fair and open to all. She spoke about how EngSoc has really tried to create a space that is welcoming and inclusive, especially during society socials:
“This year, we’ve tried our best to open up socials and try to cultivate a relaxed, welcoming environment which is less intimidating,” she said. “I’ve seen people coming to night out socials alone and felt really happy they felt comfortable enough to do so. I can only hope in return they felt they were embraced by myself and other society members on the night.”
There is something strangely familiar about the concept of a society night out. Perhaps it’s the last-minute outfits to keep with the theme you don’t really understand, or stumbling down West Street in the early hours of Sunday morning. Maybe it’s splitting the price of an Uber back home, or the horrific taste of one too many VK’s. We can all recognise a society night out when we see one, and I guarantee most of us can pull out our fair share of tales from an evening gone wrong – or right.
Society nights out are how I truly got to know some of my closest friends. Nothing solidifies a friendship like picking each other up from the Bierkeller floor after falling off the tables, or the dreaded walk back up Conduit Road. I think the joy of a society night out is that it never quite goes how you expected, no matter how much planning the social secretary is forced to do.
Society socials are changing. Gone are the days of excessive drinking as the only form of group outing. West Street bar crawls are being replaced by sober socials at cafes, pies at Notty House, or even trips to the Globe in London. Maybe these aren’t for everyone, but it’s important for societies to create spaces that students truly feel safe in, without the potential for judgement or peer pressure. Perhaps there will be a day when initiations become a thing of the past, an old wives tale that we tell our kids about when reminiscing about our days at university. For now, let’s enjoy society socials whilst we have the chance, but let’s make them a good time for the many, not the few.
