The Virginia Informer

Last Updated:4/22/09 Section: Features

Media Credit: Alec McKinley Fantastic fun: The Sci-Fi club enjoys nerf gun battles and film screenings in academic buildings.

Don't think science fiction and fantasy are cool? Think again. You might not see popped collars or Dave Mathew's Band hats at William and Mary's Science Fiction and Fantasy Club, better known as "Skiffy" but this club is not for people who don't like a good time. Instead of beer pong and convivial palm-slapping, table top gaming and Nerf fights rule the day. Skiffy, which has been an institution on campus for over 35 years, can be seen as a breath of fresh air for some students, acting a friendly retreat for like-minded people from the strongly Greek W&M campus. I recently had the privilege to sit in on a Skiffy meeting on Monday, April 13th.

The meeting started with reports from officers, nearly all of whom had very outrageous titles. The session seemed to be less of actual club reporting and more about friends sharing funny stories and happenings around campus. One member told of how he Rick-Rolled his entire high school over the P.A. system.

After a while, the club moved on to "business," which was a discussion about a planned "Raven-con." Some club members mistook this as "Reagan-Con," a satire of Raven-Con, a fantasy. Reagan-con is a sci-fi and horror convention in Richmond. In the last meeting, Club officer Mark Hrisho ('11) read club response to the question "what would Reagan-Con be like?" Proposed ideas were dinners where the dessert would "trickle-down" to customers and Russian martial arts masters breaking down walls to allow patrons into the convention.

Following this discussion, the club had nominations for next year's club officers. The majority of offices i.e. president, treasurer, secretary, were treated with respect but the title of Vice President was somewhat irreverent. Nominated candidates had unique titles: A bottle of Sweet Tea, Willy the Wombat and the contents of a few club members stomachs. In this jocular manner, the club, which filled the entire large classroom, continued for some time until it was time to select the movie for next week.

After a long but highly organized nomination process, the club voted on the final two, Battle Royale and Twilight, which seemed to be proposed only as a joke that went a bit far. In the end Battle Royale won by a large margin and club members rejoiced. When the movie of the night, The Brotherhood of the Wolf started, I left.

Later I interviewed the president of Skiffy Ben Fontana ('09). "It's a hang out spot," he said. "We welcome everyone."As we continued to talk, he also told me that the club organizes weekly Nerf gun battles, video game tournaments and social dances with the anime club.

I will admit that I was apprehensive when I went to the Skiffy meeting and I felt that some of the antics, such as the evil laugh competition, were a bit strange. However, by the end of the night my fellow reporters and I, Fiona Heuch and Seema Mahanian, were won over by the group's welcoming demeanor and wacky personality. Don't be surprised if you see this reporter attending Battle Royale this Monday. Skiffy meets on Mondays 9pm in Blair 223.

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