Nieuwsbrief November
F.C. Sophia November Newsletter
Table of contents:
- Introduction
- A thank you from the new board
- Member(s) of the month
- Philosopher of the month
- Upcoming events
Introduction
Dearest members and donors of F.C. Sophia,
It is an honest pleasure to find you by means of this newsletter. Whether you’re a first-year student or already done with studying, we hope this letter will inform you about the things that already happened or will happen within the association and beyond.
The academic year started a measly 3 months ago, so only now is it the perfect time to actually introduce the 37th board to you. Stubborn as we are, we are not apologizing for the fact this newsletter is just slightly delayed, but do want to acknowledge the scarce, but dedicated readers of this newsletter. We hear you, and can hopefully keep you happy by stating that there is a possibility that the newsletter after this one will actually be delivered to you in a timely manner.
This will be the first time in the history of the association that a newsletter will not be written by the Secretary but by the Commissioner of Educational Affairs. I am aware this is a break of tradition, and yes, that may be heartbreaking to some. However, it is always better than abandoning it completely. I will try to keep a certain standard up, with all the power I have. This does not mean that the newsletter will stay the same. As a board, we have already tried to introduce some new things, of which I am myself a big fan of the Member of the Month for example. This will not be different with this newsletter, but I will try to keep the well-known F.C. Sophia ambiance of the newsletter alive. What this means is that the Drink of the Month is going to be abandoned for now, and so is the monthly poem. However, if anyone with a passion for poetry wants to help me out every month, the latter will remain.
Enfin, because nothing notable has happened in the short timespan between September and November, we are already at the mercy of discussing trivial subjects. What a weather, huh? Let me tell you, the weather is freezing, the rain is pouring, my fingers are freezing off, and the academic machine thunders on. We hope you all survived the first exam period of the year, and if not, we as the 37th board of F.C. Sophia hopefully can bring you the wisdom in uttering the sentence “There is always next time”. From the coziness of my newly acquired room in the beautiful concrete jungle tree called Talia, I ask you from the love of my heart, to stay inside. No matter if you are an outgoing type, or a house cat type of person, just stay true to yourself. Nobody likes wet snow, freezing winds, and darkness at 4 PM. I myself will use this sitting-inside as fuel to keep the newsletter motor running, and to jump behind the typewriter.
However, I want to stretch that I am not a non-verbal monkey randomly typing letters on the typewriter in the hopes of accidentally re-writing Adorno’s Dialectic of Enlightenment. I am a person of flesh and blood, and unfortunately for myself, I also listen to feedback and ideas from other people. So, to the visionaries and creative minds in the association, feel free to contact me if you have some marvellous ideas about spicing up this newsletter. That being said, I hope to reach you well, and keep everyone informed about the everyday happenings of our association!
Sincerely,
Your Commissioner of Educational Affairs
Sander van der Snel
A thank you from the new board
Firstly, I want to sincerely thank the previous board for the amazing work and dedication they have shown last year. Although not everything went perfectly all the time, your love and care for the association has shown itself throughout everything you have done. And what things you have done! The new website, the amazing Waalhalla party, the statute changes and many more things. You have truly made our first months as the 37th board much easier than previously expected. I speak from the perspective of multiple people when I say that the activities and efforts of the 36th board itself played a huge role in my decision to become board myself.
A second thank you is for the people who attended the GMA on the 25th of September and voted us in! Your faith in us as the new board of F.C. Sophia we appreciate through a degree that is nearly immeasurable. We will do our best to make good on your trust.
Member(s) of the Month
With great pleasure, we want to introduce to you the Member of the Month of September Remy Hameleers, Member of the Month of October Aagje van Passel and Member of the Month of November Ilyasse Ouanani!
As the board, we think Remy deserves a special shoutout because he is simply legendary. Not only is he our resident DJ, but he also got locked in the Sophia room for 10 hours for charity… What a guy. What more could you want? His response to being chosen as the member of the month is “Thank you, and may Hegel’s force be with you.”
And so do we think that Aagje deserves a special shoutout! She has stepped up to be the chair of the amazing first year committee. She has been running that very well and we’ve seen a lot of enthusiasm amongst the first years when it comes to the activities she and her committee organise. We hope, and have good faith, that with Aagje in charge, this will continue for the rest of the academic year as well! A little word from herself: “You might not know me very well because I’m a first year student but those who do, might from being in the first year committee. I’m really grateful for the good vibes and all the help there.”
Lastly, we also want to find a moment to give the spotlight to Ilyasse! Not only is Ilyasse an active and overall very well-liked member of the association, which is already Member of the Month-worthy in itself, he also held a very memorable talk at our first Symposium. How memorable you ask? You just had to be there. To give the word to Ilyasse himself: “I think this is a prime opportunity to say that Sophia really is something special, and it is of course the wonderful people that are part of it that make it so. It is you that make Sophia special, and I am beyond happy to be there to see it and wonder at it.”
Do you also want to put someone in the spotlight? You can always send us a DM on Instagram or email us at fcsophia@gmail.com to nominate someone for the next Member of the Month
Philosopher of the Month
With the famous yearly Sophia Weekend right around the corner on the 28th until 30th of November, it would only be right to dedicate a philosopher to the weekend at de Ganzenhof. As far as I know, no philosopher of name has ever visited that place; except for some older Sophians, of course. I am thus not dedicating this talk to a philosopher who has been to a Sophia Weekend, but rather to the philosopher who would have the best time there. Let’s dilute that further: which philosopher would be best at flunkyball? We know Socrates and his companions got a wee bit drunk in the Symposium, Guy Debord was often drunk for months on end and Marx is one of the most influential alcoholics in history.
But funnily, this is a trick question. As you all know, you don’t need alcohol to play flunkyball. It is a multifaceted game, for which you need endurance and strength, and, as I always say, don’t forget the mental part! In short, who is the most active, and fun to be around? Let me tell you, that is not Socrates, nor Debord or Marx! They are just a bunch of drunkards, and because of that, their whole philosophical libraries and flunkyball results are immediately unremarkable. To show you which philosopher would fit best at a Sophia Weekend, we need to find someone really good. Sporty, mentally on top of their game and clear-headed. I know one who perfectly fits the frame. The philosopher of the month will be Jürgen Habermas.
Upcoming events
4th: “Evening Before Package Evening” Drinks
8th: (First Year Activity) Christmas Movie Night
10th: Monthly Lunch
10th: Arts and Crafts Evening
18th: “Glam Christmas” Party