Campus niches, you know who you are. You're the groups who not only accomplish insanely cool things but also seem to spend every free moment together getting mad facetime in Collis. We outsiders admit we're jealous though we usually try to pretend that we're not. The question, though, is what exactly distinguishes a social niche from a mere extracurricular? What makes these groups so perceptibly "awesome" and so cliquey?
Despite the diverse molds that these groups fill, they all seem to have two things working for them: an intense desire to actually be awesome at some shared pursuit, and a group of people who just seem to click. Put these two elements together and voila! You have created the ultimate frisbee community.
"If we're friends with each other outside, we'll play better together, and the more we play together, the closer our bonds will be as friends," co-captain of the men's ultimate frisbee team Ian Engler '12 said.
Forget the days of forced team bonding to make teammates play better together these players' relationships are legit.
"Because the people click so well, we want to be spend more time with each other," Engler said. "Even beyond scheduled practices and hangouts, we'll always have the Collis couch and we'll study in similar rooms, and find time to spend time with each other to strengthen the relationships between us all."
Apart from their communal preference for the Collis couch, a huge part of what brings these groups together is true passion for something whatever that might be. For Anastassia Radeva '12, co-director of Mentors Against Violence (MAVs), this interest is the active prevention of sexual assault on campus.
"[MAV] is a great way to confirm that there's a lot of people working on the issue," she said. "The reason I've maintained my involvement is that I want to make a difference, and because we tangibly do things."
For many of these organizations, the commitment to a common interest attracts a certain kind of person, which in turn contributes to the cohesiveness of the group.
"[In ultimate], we don't have refs, and we rely on the spirit of the game, so we call our own fouls," Engler said. "That means the sport attracts a certain kind of person that can be competitive, but also very down to earth and caring about other people."
For the Rockapellas, a cappella is only a part of what brings group members together, member Charli Fool Bear-Vetter '15 said. Their shared commitment to social justice is just as important. "We have this open environment where we don't have to tiptoe around issues or keep it light because that's what our group is about," Bear-Vetter said.
The time commitment necessary for achieving common goals is also at the core of cohesive groups.
"Once you make the commitment, you have to do it," ski patrol director Cody Curran '12 said. "You can't just fall out of it. You've committed to these people for four years, and you work to maintain that."
As a result, the group's network is a great resource for students and alumni alike, Curran said.
"For [ski patrol] alumni, it's different than from coming back to something like a frat, which is so big and changes from year to year," she said.
The strength of the alumni networks of these organizations is a testament to their unity and strength.
"You get so much unconditional love from people you don't always know, and it takes the meaning of the organization to the whole new level," Rockapella Emily Liu '12 said of the a cappella group's alumnae.
Such groups also involve rigorous selection processes, ensuring that those students involved are going to seriously contribute to the groups' goals.
"We have so many girls that try out, so we emphasize commitment," club soccer player Emily Niehaus '12 said.
Niche organizations are so awesome because they're the real deal: shared passions and goals, cool people and awesome alumni what more could you ask for?
