What is Fourth Week?
Fourth Week is ‘Societies Week,’ going along with Trinity’s love of naming weeks (‘Green Week,’ ‘Equality and Diversity Week,’ etc.). Its primary purpose is to get people involved in societies that they wouldn’t otherwise be involved in at this point, for example for those who missed signing up for certain societies in Freshers’ Week. To facilitate this, the Central Societies Committee (CSC) have provided special Fourth Week grants to society committees to hold free ‘taster’ events during the week for students to come and check them out without having to pay the full membership fee. According to Dónal McKeating, Chair of the CSC, “Fourth Week is the dedicated week for all of Trinity’s Societies. It gives them a fantastic opportunity to showcase the best of what they can do without having to worry about any financial constraints.”
What’s in it for me?
Free stuff. Free events, free wine, free fun. Societies tend to go all out with their events in Fourth Week as they’re given extra money from the CSC to do so, so it’s the perfect opportunity to start going to society events. There are also lots of weird things on like aerial acrobatics training from the Juggling Society and a falconry exhibit from DU Zoo Soc, which you would arguably never otherwise have the chance to do.
What’s on?
Lots of things. The central event of the week is the Refreshers Society Signup on Tuesday from 12-3 in The Atrium, which is basically a rerun of Freshers’ Week (which seems scarily recently) as societies will be back with their stands to sign up new members again. Along with this is numerous society events, some highlights of which are:
• Theo’s talk entitled “A Theologian’s Survival Guide: Tips and Tricks” (Monday, 7pm, GMB). The year is look very bright for this promising and busy small society.
• Law Soc presents celebrity lawyer Shawn Holley (Tuesday, 4pm, GMB). Holley was the lawyer for Linsday Lohan, OJ Simpson, and Michael Jackson. Law doesn’t get any trashier than this.
• Scandinavian Society’s Scandinavian Olympics (Tuesday, 5pm, Cricket Pitch). Following on from successful past games, this year’s competition will include phone throwing and a “Danish beer run.”
• Engineering Society’s workshop on how to build your own Electric Xylophone (Wednesday, 6pm, Printing House). Class.
• Cumman Galeach’s “Lá na Gaeilge” (day of Irish) (Thursday, all day, various locations). The Cumman have a plethora of exciting and free things happening all in one day: breakfast, taster class, reception, debate, comedy, music, you name it.
• High Society (Thursday, 7.30pm, top floor of House 6). Each society which calls the top floor of House 6 their home will take part in this showcase of their various specialties: get watching films with Film Soc, artsy with VisArts, and a host of other taster events. Black tie is encouraged.
• Trinity Cycling Club have secured Irish professional cyclist Nicholas Roche as a speaker for their Fourth Week event (Thursday, 6pm, MacNeill Theater). Nicholas has had tremendous success recently, having finished 5th overall in the Vuelta (tour of Spain), so this event should be of interest to all sports enthusiasts.
• Trinity Arts Festival’s Through the Looking Glass (Friday, 7pm, GMB). Yet again, TAF and a host of collaborating societies will take over the entire GMB to bring guests through a maze of Wonderland-themed excitement. 17 other societies have been named to be involved, so surely there will be something for everyone.
