First-year decides which clique to join after election candidates revealed
Illustration by Tina Wallace
Mitch Wainwright is a first-year political science student. His older brother was an active member of the University of Ottawa student life, but not the kind that you see in brochures advertised during high school lunch-period presentations. More like the kind of university life that you might have seen Ryan Reynolds star in.
After Wainwright’s older brother graduated from the U of O and discovered his younger brother would be attending, the two spent all summer talking about the social life at the U of O and how to make the most of his experience.
Unfortunately, he was unable to start school in September due to personal issues, but now he is even more eager for election season.
“I was really upset that I couldn’t participate in my frosh week,” he said. “But to be honest, the more important social connections are made during election season anyway.”
When told that the U of O typically refers to frosh week as “101 Week,” Wainwright replied that he didn’t care, and that the main point was that he wanted to join the right clique to fit in at the campus bar 1848 and the popular La Maison.
The decisions he makes now will stick with him for the rest of his time at the U of O.
“Cliques at the U of O are like what fraternities are to colleges in the states,” he said. “Sure, less people care about that type of popularity game here, but I think that for those who do, it’s important to volunteer for the right clique during the election season. It will be hard to make friends in the other cliques if I don’t choose right on my first go.”
Wainwright has done some research into the slate platforms already and is excited to make his vote count on election day.
He admitted, “My older brother told me that the 1Campus parties are better, but that the Student Action gives out more free drink tickets at social events. I just don’t know where I stand yet on the slates’ key agendas.”
He plans to attend the candidate debates in both official languages in order to learn more.
“I heard that Carleton’s association sent letters to all their students with $20 in each letter,” he said. “I think I’ll try to ask if that’s possible here at one of the debates. That would definitely help my decision. $20 is a lot of money.”
To learn more about each clique, Wainwright plans to spend more time examining each clique’s social calendar before election day. Super Party’s Donkey Kong competition in the Colonel By sub-basement is bound to attract guests in the double digits, but 1Campus’ weekly birthday party at 1848 for a student who already graduated appeals to just as many.
Wainwright encourages all other first-year students to follow his lead and become engaged in a clique of their own choosing during election season to continue the tradition.
“Be careful about joining the Student Action clique though,” Wainwright noted. “My brother told me that they seem to like to stick around the U of O a few years longer than the rest.”
