Photo courtesy of MikeNeilson on Flickr.
Students are a privileged elite. No one goes out of their way to organize zombie parties or free indie rock shows for policy analysts. Sure, I may sound bitter, but all you other working stiffs will start whining along with me once you hear about Alternative 101, the frosh week being organized by the University of Ottawa’s OPIRG Branch. (Although Carleton is also holding a radical frosh, I couldn’t get that assignment in on time because my dog ate my notebook.)
This 4th edition of Alternative 101 runs from September 5 to the 12 and will entail a scavenger hunt, daily breakfasts, a free show by Thunderheist and Plants and Animals, a movie screening, a zombie party, a swing dance party, a green tour of campus, workshop from Venus Envy, a drag show, a take back the night 101 march, a potluck, a hike in Gatineau park and, naturally, a zombie party.
The whole idea behind this cornucopia is to cater to kids who might not feel like drinking or partying their way through their first week of school (all of the events are dry). It targets new students who might feel a bit different due to a disability or sexual orientation, or to those to whom the experience of moving to a new town is particularly intimidating. But really, any freshman student can participate. It’s also a way to get students to look beyond the walls of the ivory tower. As Georgianna and Peter, the two organizers behind this year’s event, describe it, Alternative 101 is “a good link between getting people involved in stuff going on about campus, but also introduce them to the secret and more radical side to the city.”
OPIRG, the Ontario version of the public research groups that have sprung up in various cities around North America, works to link community and campus social and environmental activism. The organization is funded through the university through an optional levy. Although Alternative 101 is only open to students, any member of the community can become a member of OPIRG. There are currently several committees consisting of both students and community members working on a variety of issues.
So if your a new student, have fun! You may event run into me and my friends trying to sneak into the Plants and Animals show with our fake student IDs.
For all events, you can meet OPIRG at the Alt101 table (in front of 90U) 15 minutes before the start time. The event details can be found after the break.
