It was a rainy evening, and I was absentmindedly meandering after the nerd bandwagon, trying to decide if I should jump on. I was sitting on my roommate’s bed as I contemplated attending an event for the first time on campus. It was a showing of the animated movie Wreck It Ralph, hosted by the Sci-Fi/FantaSciFi Clubs. After all, who doesn’t like some good Fantasy and Sci-Fi. Give me a wizard over a quarterback and a dragon over a fancy car any day. I prefer time travel to jet-setting and orcs to vicious cheerleaders. However (and here comes the confession), I am not a Star Wars fan, and while I have watched and thoroughly enjoyed every episode of the new series of Doctor Who, I am incapable of quoting any lines back to you. So as I sat there, idly musing, I was worried that perhaps I wasn’t the right kind of nerdy for the Sci-Fi/FantaSciFi Clubs.
The SciFi Club was co-founded by Rotem Elias and David Rabbani because, simply put, they were tired of attending events that were all speeches and no fun. They decided to create the SciFi club with the intention of holding events where people could have fun and meet others interested in the same geeky stuff that they were. The following year, current SCW seniors, Malka Sigal and Aliza Katzin, teamed up and created the FantaSciFi club on the Stern Campus. The two clubs have since joined forces and work together to create fun and exciting events.
Every semester the clubs choose a theme. In fall of 2012 the theme was time travel. Ever wondered how exactly time travel might work? After screening three movies about time travel, the clubs invited a physics lab technician to speak about the possibility of time travel. In spring of 2013, the theme chosen was unconventional heroes. That semester featured one of their most popular events, a showing of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Those who attended were sorted into different houses by the Sorting Hat. Eli Shavalian, YC ’14, brought twigs in from outdoors and whittled wands for those who wished to try their hand at magic. Malka Sigal, or should I say Madama Rosmerta, served Butterbeer to the weary students. All were invited to dress up as they saw fit, and attendees were privileged enough to bump into Ron Weasley, whisper about Harry Potter behind his back, roll their eyes at Hermione Granger, scuttle hurriedly away from Snape, and even marvel at Tonks’ bright blue hair.
The Sci-Fi/FantaSciFi Clubs events bring in a huge crowd. This year, the zombie event this past fall attracted over sixty Stern and Yeshiva college students. Students came dressed in their zombie best, with blood and gore galore. The club’s book swap event, which was held in conjunction with the Fiction Book Club, was a huge success, and attracted more people than expected. The event was accompanied by a dramatic reading of Shakespeare’s Star Wars, a book by Ian Doescher. Students played the roles of Luke, Lea, Han Solo and others, all the while speaking in a “Shakespearean” dialect.
There is a reason the Sci-Fi/FantaSciFi Clubs events are some of the most widely attended events on campus. Rochela Neiman,Vice President, explained: “The Sci-Fi/FantaSciFi Club lets everyone know that it’s perfectly okay to be ridiculously enthusiastic about what you love…anything goes and everything is cool. …We encourage people to embrace that which makes them unique and to fly their fandom flags high. We also encourage people to express themselves and meet people in brilliant new ways. We’re important because we matter to people. We make everyone feel welcome and wanted.”
After much cajoling by my roommates, I took the leap. Despite my confidence that I would be treated to all the perks of being a wallflower, I had a fantastic time. I had been worried that I would have nobody to talk to – but I had such a good time that I started showing up to all their events. Eventually, I successfully petitioned to be a member of the board. The lesson here, folks? Next time you’re feeling a little nerdy, why not feel nerdy among friends?