Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 15:15:44 -0400 (EDT) From: Amy' Marinello Reply-To: Nefarious and Vindictive Copresidents To: SWIL '05: ; Cc: Nefarious and Vindictive Copresidents Subject: We are the droids you're looking for. You were probably subjected to a deluge of mail in the first few days after Sunday's Activities Fair. We, the copresidents of SWIL were... clever, yes, that's it, clever, not lazy... and decided to wait until the end of the week to send you an introduction to our fine organization. Students Who Invented Laziness. Students With Interesting Lives. Shakespeare, William, In Love. Star Wars Is Long. Swarthmore Warders of Imaginative Literature. You decide. (Okay, we decided. It's the last one.) What, you may ask, is involved in the warding of imaginative literature at Swarthmore? We know a little bit about that, but we know a lot about other things too. This is a guide to us. *** If you're interested in the local Renaissance Faire, make sure to read section III.B. *** I. Things SWILlies Do A. Meetings 1. We hold meetings every Saturday at noon (be there on time to be eligible for the door prize!). 2. The meeting room is Sharples 4, the little room next to the cold cereal. 3. We discuss upcoming large and small events sponsored by us or just of general interest to SWILlies. 4. We hold Unnecessary SWIL Votes on things like whether Ross has a brain (the nays won). 5. You should come tomorrow. B. SWILNews 1. This is sent out every week at some time before the next meeting. 2. It summarizes what happened at the previous meeting, what the next weekly movie will be, and is just generally darn amusing. II. Things Which Don't Go in the Next Section (TM) A. SWIL Movies 1. These are shown every Monday night at 10pm. (You should be on time despite the lack of a door prize.) 2. The location is Kirby Lecture Hall in Martin (biology building). 3. Each semester, we show a mix of science fiction and fantasy movies, as well as two anime. 4. For this semester's movies, please visit http://www.swil.org/movies.html 5. In addition, at the beginning of each academic year, we show all the Star Wars movies. You already missed this. Do not pass Go, do not collect two hundred dollars. B. The Bug-Eyed Magazine 1. Submit to BEM. 2. No, really. 3. We mean it. C. More about The Bug-Eyed Magazine 1. BEM is our annual publication. 2. It contains stories, poems, drawings, and occasionally 76-page manuscripts. 3. You should be able to come up with an argument as to why your submission relates to science fiction or fantasy. D. Speakers 1. Every few years, we get our act together enough to bring in a speaker. 2. This refers to a person who speaks to us about an interesting topic, not e.g. a subwoofer. 3. Speakers of the past have included Tamora Pierce, Gardner Dozois, and Swarthmore's own Professor Donna Jo Napoli. E. Books 1. We maintain a science fiction and fantasy library on the third floor of Cornell (science library). 2. There are comfy chairs there. 3. Check it out. III. Annual SWIL Events A. The Pterodactyl Hunt 1. Do you like violence? 2. Leave us alone! 3. Okay, not really. 4. For anyone still reading, the Pterodactyl Hunt is our most well-known all-campus event. 5. It happens in late September or early October (that's soon!). 6. It's kind of like a live-action RPG. 7. We wear black trash bags and pretend to be Monsters. Other people wear white trash bags and pretend to be Hunters. 8. We hit each other with foam swords. 9. Fun is had by all. B. The Renaissance Faire 1. People dress in Renaissance-style costume (you don't have to, but I think you get a discount if you do). 2. They hold mock jousts, Live Chess matches, and plays. There are demonstrations of cool things like swordmaking and falconry. 3. We'll be going on Sunday the 16th. 4. Email if you want to come. Space is not guaranteed due to the College's new van policy, so we may have to do this on a first-come, first-serve basis. 5. Check out http://www.parenfaire.com 6. Bring sunblock. C. THE root beer KEG PARTY 1. If you were here for Spec Weekend, you may have attended this. Go you! 2. The story: SWIL (as an organization) turned 21 two years ago. 3. We decided to have a keg party. 4. We don't drink (generally). 5. Ta-da. D. The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre 1. Shooting people in Sharples is fun. E. Other Events 1. SWILoween a. This is SWIL's Halloween party. (Not all-campus, but anyone sober is welcome.) 2. Spamageddon a. We hate Spam. b. Don't you? c. Thought so. d. Come destroy Spam in April. 3. The Schlock Film Festival a. By the time exams roll around in May, you might be a little bit stressed. b. Making fun of bad movies helps. IV. Unofficial SWIL Stuff A. The Fun List 1. So this actually is an official SWIL thing, but it's generally used for announcing unofficial SWIL things. 2. It's another way for you to know what cool things are going on, even if you don't want to dedicate your every waking minute to hanging out with us because we're just that cool. Though we do encourage people to spend their every waking minute with us. :-) 3. To find out how to subscribe, check out http://www.swil.org/mailinglists.html 4. Note: This is not the same as the SWILNews mailing list. B. Gaming 1. You may have noticed us playing games on Monday. All day. In Sharples. 2. We don't usually do that. Usually we do it in buildings more comfortable than Sharples. 3. Strategy games, card games, parlour games, fluffy games, and the occasional, deadly, twelve-hour game of Civ. C. Story Readings 1. Read stories out loud. 2. Hear other people read stories out loud. 3. Yay! D. Singing 1. Round sings a. Sing rounds. 2. Filk sings a. Sing filks. (Parodies of other songs.) 3. No talent required for either! 4. Trust us. E. Other Stuff 1. There's lots of it. Just join the Fun list. V. Stuff Done by Other Organizations that You Should Know About (TM) A. MotherPuckers 1. This is Swarthmore's recreational ice hockey club. 2. Blood makes the grass grow; kill kill kill! 3. All equipment is provided. 4. Talent is not, but that's the fun part. 5. It happens on Thursdays starting after October break. B. SCCS (whatever it stands for) 1. Get a Swarthmore email account where your username does not involve that stupid 1 or 2! 2. Be able to access all of your email anywhere. 3. Be able to stalk your friends. In a good way. 4. And more.... 5. To find out how to sign up, see http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/support/faq_newacct.html If you're still reading, wow. We're not (sorry for any typos). Feel free to email us () with any questions or comments. And we hope to see you Saturday (tomorrow, or any other Saturday) at noon. Or at meals at our table in the small room of Sharples. Or in clases. Or wandering around. Or.... --The Queens of Heart Heart of Gold (Amy' Marinello) -- aem @ sccs Heart of Stone (Abby Friedman) -- abigail @ sccs Heart of Darkness (Robert McFarland) -- robertnm @ sccs