Anchorites Anonymous, a new community-based club that provides students with an alternative social space on Friday nights, has begun meeting. Their first meeting was in late February, and they aim to meet most Friday nights thereafter in the Quita Woodward Room.
Bryn Mawr students pursue a variety of social clubs, activities, and interests, so a typical Friday night looks different for nearly everyone. Many students attend parties at Haverford College, vying for livelier, louder weekends. Other students prefer quieter nights spent with friends, many of whom participate in relaxing hobbies. The new club, Anchorites Anonymous, aims to create a peaceful, constructive environment that supports those who enjoy calm nights on campus through mutual activities.
Rory Frasch (BMC ’29), a co-founder of Anchorites Anonymous, explained that the inspiration for the club stemmed from her own social experiences in her first semester of college. “I found myself wanting to go out and hang out with people on Friday nights, but I wasn’t always up for going out and doing something that was very high energy. But I still kind of wanted to decompress with friends.”
Similarly, co-founder Ashvy Shah (BMC ’29) shared, “A lot of my friends tend to go to Haverford on Fridays and Saturdays for the parties. There’s not really any alternative for me to do that.”
This sentiment is not unique, with many students holding similar concerns about a lack of community activities on weekends outside of parties. Frasch said, “I didn’t see this as something that was really out of the ordinary for a lot of people.” The collective desire for a third space that acts as both a community and an opportunity is the basis of the club. “I thought it would be cute to have a centralized group because I have a lot of friends who, like me, want to go out some nights and want to stay in others, but having that consistency helps me not to feel as though I have to go out or I won’t be able to socialize.”
Though the club is in its early stages, Frasch and Shah discussed their intentions for Anchorites Anonymous and what a typical meeting is expected to look like. The founders emphasized the relaxing community that they hope to foster, thus having few pre-determined expectations of attendees. “I think our general goal is going to be that you can come and go, and you don’t have to be there every time,” Frasch explained. The club is open to growth and change depending on the needs and ideas of its members. Frasch said, “It’s meant to be adaptive to the people who come and what they end up being interested in doing and pursuing.”
Frasch noted that Anchorites Anonymous is a place to “meet new people and also have time to focus on yourself while being in the company of others, whether that’s more in a parallel way or a socializing way, whichever way you take it.”
Shah hopes to initiate a space that is a “good way for everyone to decompress” after a week of class work and studying. As a part of this goal, Anchorites Anonymous will host an assortment of creative activities that require low amounts of energy, yet still leave room for social connection, while other students may be attending parties.
Every club meeting will have a theme based on the activity of the night. Club activities will span artistic disciplines and may include, according to Frasch and Shah, craft nights, writing workshops, scrapbooking, crochet nights, and reading, amongst other things. Additionally, some craft materials, candies, stickers, or cozy snacks may be provided. The founders encourage club attendees to bring their own ideas for future events, ensuring a wide range of student hobbies can be enjoyed.
Thus far, the potential for relaxation-based community building has been fruitful. Since sending out an interest form this past month, the club has already received 93 sign-ups. “I was excited that there were people interested,” Frasch expressed her elation with the growing interest of the student body, “It’s something people would appreciate having as an option.”
The positive response to the launching of Anchorites Anonymous suggests the beginning of a new era in campus community—one in which students gain the ability to participate in a multitude of social opportunities honed in on their personal interests.
