Vassar College - Extra-curricular Organizations

Extra-curricular Organizations

• The Vassar Student Association (VSA) includes all students as its members, and is headed by the VSA Council. As the legislative body of the student government, the Council certifies and provides funds to all student organizations on campus. The VSA Executive Board oversees the VSA system and advocates on behalf of students. Students elected via the VSA election process take active roles in governance by participating on College committees.
• The Miscellany News, founded in 1866, is the oldest publication of Vassar College, and one of the oldest college weekly newspapers in the United States. Known as 'The Misc' among students, the paper comes out each Thursday. The paper has twice won the Pacemaker Award given by the Columbia University School of Journalism.
• The College has multiple political clubs, including the Vassar College Democrats and the Moderate, Independent, Conservative Alliance (MICA).
• The Vassar Night Owls, founded in 1942, is the oldest continuing female a cappella group in the US. They arrange, rehearse, perform and record concerts at Vassar, other colleges, the US and abroad. The Night Owls were invited to sing at both of Pres. Clinton’s inaugurations, and have been featured on Comedy Central. Membership is by audition.
• Matthew's Minstrels, founded in 1978, was Vassar's first co-ed a cappella group. The Minstrels repertoire includes a large variety of songs, including from doo-wop of the 1950s, pop songs from the 80s, and today's chart topping hits. In 1990, Matthew's Minstrels were featured on MTV's Head of the Charles weekend special.

• The Philaletheis Society is the oldest theater group on campus, which was founded in 1865 as a literary society. It has now become a completely student run theater group. Others include Unbound, Woodshed, Idlewild (an all-female ensemble), Future Waitstaff of America (for musical theater), and two Shakespeare-specific troupes. Performances are done all over campus including in the Susan Stein Shiva Theater, which is an all student run black box theater. The college also hosts the Powerhouse Summer Theater workshop series.
• ViCE (Vassar College Entertainment) books outside entertainers for on-campus performances, with the College Campus Activities staff acting as facilitators. In recent years, ViCE has brought acts like Wyclef Jean, M.I.A., Vampire Weekend, TV on the Radio, Girl Talk, Passion Pit, Beirut, The Flaming Lips, Beach House, and Broken Social Scene to campus. During the late 1990s, talks were briefly in the works to bring Extreme Championship Wrestling to the Walker Field House, but the company opted instead to remain at the nearby Mid-Hudson Civic Center.
• AirCappella is an all-whistling a cappella group. Since its conception in 2005, AirCappella has played outside the College, having represented Vassar at the 2007 and 2009 International Whistlers Convention in Louisburg, North Carolina. Advil pharmaceutical hired the group to whistle "Eye of the Tiger" at their annual sales meeting in Atlanta in January 2008.
• Vassar Filmmakers, one of the newest extra-curricular organizations, offers film and video equipment to any film or non-film major with a proposed idea and brings guest lectures by filmmakers such as Eugene Jarecki, Albert Maysles and J. J. Murphy.
• Vassar Quidditch: Vassar College also boasts a successful quidditch team, the Butterbeer Broooers. Established in 2007, the Broooers won second place at the 2008 US College Quidditch Cup held at Middlebury College. Quidditch practices are open to any member of the Vassar community and often receive a mixture of confusion and admiration from bystanders.
• The Barefoot Monkeys is Vassar's Circus Arts, Firespinning, and Juggling Club. Most frequently found at 'playtime' on the quad, or indoors in Main building or UpCDC during the winter, The Monkeys perform on and off campus and strive to bring the fun of circus arts to the Vassar community.
• The Vassar Greens is Vassar's environmental group. This group strives to create real and lasting change on campus and in the greater Poughkeepsie community through initiatives like banning bottled water, on campus composting, and encourage local policy makers to adopt more sustainable waste management practices. Recently, the group opened the 'Free Market' on campus. This a store that students can donate to and take from freely to promote recycling and reduce waste.
• Vassar Khalj Ultimate is the school's Ultimate Frisbee club team. Made up of the Swinging Monks men's team and the Boxing Nuns women's team, Vassar Ultimate actively competes in college-level tournaments all along the East Coast and beyond.