College Activities
At Queen’s, we understand that there’s more to university life than books and lectures. We value academic success, but we also want you to remember your College years as among the best of your life. So whoever you are and whatever you love doing, or even if you’re still trying to find your passion, Queen’s can help you make the most of yourself.
Explore our many clubs, societies and activities, and find your place. With one of the most diverse activity programs, you’ll never be short of new experiences in sports, cultural, spiritual or academic pursuits, regardless of your skill level.
Music & Drama Society (MADS)
MADS orchestrates music and drama events at Queen’s College. Events range from evening soirees, Quadstock (music festival in the Quad) and the annual theatrical production. All students are welcomed to be involved, either as a performer onstage, crew, fundraising, publicity, stage manager, production team, or simply to watch and cheer the performances.
The biggest event for MADS is the college production, run annually since MADS was established in 1914. Every year, stage veterans and students who have before never performed take to the stage, and inevitably amaze the whole community. Many of our residents who got their first taste of theatre through MADS have gone on to further develop their talent at renowned institutions such as the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) and National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA).
Further music opportunities are offered through our academic program, run by our Director of Music.
Sports
Queen’s offers students the opportunity to play and compete in a range of sports, as well as half-price gym memberships (lifestyle packages) at the University Gym. Sporting competitions are typically against teams from the other Colleges of the University. Queen’s is a competitive college; on the field, track, and both on and in the water, we have shown that we can take on the best. The college also usually holds one or two charity matches per year in conjunction with other colleges.
Unlike a university or club team, College sports ‘seasons’ only last around a month or so. Consequently, students can try their hand at one or all of the sports offered. If you just want to play sports for fun, you can join the ‘seconds’ teams, more popularly known as the Magoos. You don’t need to be great at the sport or have even played it before; Magoos are just about getting out there and having fun.
The Willie Quick Society
The student-run Willie Quick society, named after our founding Master, the Rev. William Quick, organises a number events in College.
The Sir Frederick Eggleston Foreign Affairs Competition gives students interested in foreign topics an opportunity to voice their opinions on a contemporary international topic, while for speakers who are more concerned with style than substance, the Menzies Oratory Competition allows students to engage and persuade an audience using flair, passion, and the occasional thought. Topics covered in the Menzies Oratory Competition include ‘A Spoon is a Very Dangerous Thing’, to ‘Experience is a Waste of Time’.
The Society also organises the annual Creative Arts Competition with categories for Literary Arts, Plastic Arts, and Performing Arts (entries range from the conventional to the highly unusual), and the JCR vs MCR debate and trivia nights.
Orientation Week
O-Week starts the week before university begins and before the 2nd and 3rd year residents come back to College. This allows all the new residents (‘freshers’) to meet each other and get settled before everyone else arrives. O-Week comprises a variety of social events, through which you will meet your first year cohort, the student leaders and staff members who will guide and support you through your first year, and form multiple life-long friendships. During O-Week, you will explore the College and Melbourne, in order for you to become used to College life, and to Melbourne, before starting your university semester on the following Monday.
Intercollegiate Activities
Intercollegiate activities are diverse, and include a wide range of sporting events, cultural events, and social events. Queen’s is recognisable at every event, not only for the quality of our contribution, but for the sea of green, gold and chocolate amassed by Queen’s supporters in College colours.
The Intercollegiate Sports Cup involves a range of sports, from soccer, hockey, rowing, and football, to swimming, squash, and table-tennis. We won both the womens’ soccer and basketball in 2017, and our sportsmen won the cricket, football, and swimming in 2017.
The Intercollegiate Cultural Cup is equally competitive. Events that score towards the cup include the ‘Battle of the Bands’, debating and public speaking competitions, the pool and darts competition, and Theatre Sports. Intercollegiate Cultural activities also include the Intercollegiate Musical, in which Queeners always play an enthusiastic part. The musical for 2018 was Sondheim’s famous Into the Woods.
Social events around the Crescent include the College Balls that each of the ten Colleges will hold, but also more low-key events, such as barbecues in the Quad, and Dinner Swaps. Dinner Swaps give you the chance to eat at another college to see how they do things and to compare their food compares to ours.
Student Committees
The majority of events and activities at Queen’s College are organised by student committees which facilitates the sense of community that is part of Queen’s. Positions on committees are highly sought after by residents as they are very rewarding – both being able to influence the activities the community enjoys, and also on a personal level as you develop a variety of ‘life skills’ organising and planning the activities. We invite you to join one that suits your interests.
Aedificamus Committee
Produces the College journal containing the academic writings of the College community.
Ball Committee
Organises the biggest social event of the College year, the Queen’s Ball.
Boat Club
Takes care of the boats used for rowing events and practices.
Bulletin Committee
Produces ‘The Bulletin”, an informal newsletter for the students which reports on activities, events, and issues concerning students.
Clementine Club
Named after Mary Clementina de Garis, a medical student who came into College in 1900. She was the 31st woman to enrol in Medicine at the University of Melbourne, the second woman in Victoria to be awarded a Doctorate of Medicine, and Geelong’s first and only female doctor until 1941.
Creative Arts Committee
Runs the Tower Studio spaces where students who study art or design can work on their projects, hosts workshops and provides materials so all students can express their creativity
Emporium Committee
Runs the student confectionary shop and sells discounted drinks and snacks.
Environment Committee
Handles environmental projects in College.
Food Committee
Works with the Dining Hall to ensure students are happy with meals and preparation.
Student IT Committee
Implements projects like TV show streaming, gaming tournaments and events.
LABS Committee
Takes care of the recreation centre (the Lab) with the TV room, pool, table tennis and dance rooms.
Music And Drama Society (MADS) Committee
Runs the College annual theatre production and various other music and drama events during the year.
Social Activities Committee (SAC)
Organises various social activities throughout the College year.
Social Work Committee
Coordinates various charity drives and activities to help the less fortunate.
Willie Quick Club
Organises cultural events such as debating, cultural tours and public speaking events.
Wyvern Magazine Committee
Produces the end-of-year magazine that reports on the activities and achievements of the students.
Social Activities
Living in a large community with people your own age lends itself to many social activities throughout the year. These range from large organised events such as the annual College Ball to more local events such as the Turns (themed parties held on-site at College) and black tie dinners.
A highlight of the year is the Inter-Floor VolleyBall (IFVB) competition – a tournament with each ‘corridor’ in Queen’s battling it out against the other ‘corridors’. The game can best be described as volleyball with madcap rules (multiple balls can be in play, participants are on and off field, interference is allowed …).