Awkward Utopia

I really have almost nothing from this week’s meeting, so instead I’m posting our article for the Warrington Times:

Another eventful year is barreling to a close for the University Economics Society.

Last spring, UES said goodbye to its graduating seniors, to include outgoing President Mike Redondo. Under the direction of Acting President Matt Masten, the summer witnessed the beginnings of an in-depth research and analysis project on elementary education, as well as a trip to the Atlanta Federal Reserve. Fall has included talks by Dr. Dewey (of the Bureau of Economic and Business Research) and Rob Southwick (a successful UF economics alum), a Course Preview organized by UES President Amanda Brameister aimed at helping students during spring course registration, a movie viewing, a social (better known to UESers as a “soiree”), and a number of lively (but civilized) intra-club debates.

So what exactly is UES?

“We are a discussion-oriented group on campus,” said the club’s treasurer, Joshua Niederriter.

More specifically, UES is a group of UF students who gather on Tuesdays at 5:10 p.m. in Matherly Hall to discuss issues of political, social, and, most important, economic interest. Members represent a variety of majors ranging from political science to civil engineering, but share an appreciation for vigorous intellectual inquiry.

Topics this semester have included roam towing, global warming, Iran, and universal health care. Upcoming meetings will touch on intellectual property rights and incorporate officer elections. Then, of course, there are the UES old standards: debates which almost seem to have been raging among members since the club’s inception. The pros and cons of returning to the gold standard constitutes a prime example.

Through all of this, UES remains a club that likes to have fun. Star Trek references, grammar wars, and ice cream-brand comparisons are far from uncommon occurrences. Its relatively small size ensures that meetings are intimate affairs at which everyone is free to voice his mind, and members bond over pizza and the sharing of recent, funny experiences. (A time-honored UES tradition is to begin each meeting with “awkward introductions,” where every person in attendance introduces himself and relays an embarrassing or interesting story.)

Perhaps the most exciting project currently in the works is a trip to the annual meeting of the American Economics Association, happening in early January 2008. A handful of dedicated UESers will be traveling to New Orleans for three days of mingling with the biggest names in economics. The conference is composed of over 450 “scholarly sessions,” at which papers will be presented by academics from across the country (to include several of our very own UF professors).

“As a freshman, it was cool to be involved with a group that took me under its wing, and is giving me an opportunity to go to AEA,” said one new member.

“UES has really facilitated my academic experience outside the classroom,” said another.

As a service to the club, the school, and the community at large, UESers will be live-blogging their adventures at the AEA annual meeting on their nationally-recognized website, Awkward Utopia.