Ellie Ditchfield, 3rd year History and Politics student and Secretary of the Combined Honours Society, fills us in on what CHS has in store for 2019-20!
Ran by CHSS students for CHSS students, Combined Honours Society is here as the social counterpart to our course that holds events throughout the academic year, bringing everyone together in a fun, casual setting. While other students meet their course mates by default, it can be much trickier for those who design their own degree, and who could even be the only one in the university doing their subject combination. CHS was formed to bring us all together across subjects, years, and colleges, to create a community to help students get the most out of uni life. Despite only being fully up and running for just over a year, we have already held some great events - which are soon to become annual traditions!
Our freshers night, coming up on the 10th October, is there to help introduce you to uni and each other over a classic Durham combination of wine and hummus - featuring a team quiz.
A Pizza Express meal is held mid way through the term to welcome back returners (first years welcome!) We’ll be heading to a college bar afterwards, so feel free to join us for both or either part of the night.
This year we are also working with the student mentoring scheme, which links you with others doing a similar subject combination, together with an older student who has been through it all before and is ready to offer help and advice. We will be holding brunch as an opportunity for mentors and their groups to get together in first term this year. If nothing else, come along for the amazing food at Waffley Good.
Closer to Christmas we will be holding a festive event, which is something to look forward to as deadlines approach and the weather gets colder!
Our largest and most ambitious event is the CHS Ball which we held for the first time in 2019. The ball committee and exec did an incredible job putting together the ‘1984’ Orwell themed event which was a really fun night. Highlights include the rap debut of our very own society president, a comedy improv group, and dance performances. The theme for the January 2020 Ball is Emerald City/Wizard of Oz and is set to be even bigger and better.
After exams we hold a summer ‘garden party’ with the department to celebrate everyone’s contributions, achievements, and memories of the past three terms, and to see off our third years. It’s a great opportunity to get everyone together after exams before people begin to head home for the summer.
Finally, look out for some academic and career-based events which we hope to introduce at some point soon, to emphasise the great opportunities available to CHSS students and grads.
Having had both a year with and without being a member of CHS, I can’t stress enough how valuable it has been to my uni experience. To join the society and keep up to date with important updates and event information, sign up to CHS on the DSU website (it’s free!), join the facebook group, and follow us on facebook and instagram. We also need a ball committee and college reps for this year, so don’t hesitate to contact the exec through social media or in person to get involved!
