President's Blog May 2022

Convergent Communities…

Hello and welcome dear readers to the President’s blog post for May 2022!

There are only two periods of a year that a student can honestly say they dread: finals seasons. So, with the first of two approaching rapidly, ASSOC has dialled down the frequency of events to match the equally lowered social appetite of the students currently pigeonholing themselves in their rooms for the long winter ahead. However, it might be warming for you to know that before the apocalypse, we were able to squeeze in some incredibly exciting events. The name of the game this last month was collaboration; crossing swords with other societies and sharing experiences with all different kinds of people. These events were either completely new or returning favourites – but enough with the foreword, let’s begin.

ASA x ASSOC x WEB Sports Day

The inaugural collaboration event for ASSOC this year was the Sports day with the Accounting Students’ Association and Women Entering Business. The day went off without a hitch, as teams competed against each other in games of dodgeball and football. The importance of these collaborations lies in the sharing of experiences between different cohorts of students. It’s through these meeting of disciplines, that friendships and community can be fostered once again in the Macquarie community.

I have to thank the team across all three societies for working together in organising and marketing such an ambitious event. Given the success, I can only imagine this being the beginning of a new annual tradition. I’m eager to see what the future holds for this newly formed dynamic trio.

ASSOC x ASOC x EY Basketball

The battle of universities returned once again between Macquarie and our sister society at UNSW. As we all know, Actuarial Studies is sparsely offered among universities, with the course only available across NSW at our two campuses. Naturally then, it begs the question of which cohort is better. Year on year, the brightest minds on both sides of the harbour bridge decided that the only practical answer to such a poignant issue would be through the theatre of two annual sporting events.

After two years of postponement, Basketball saw an incredible amount of engagement and passion from both crowds, with a formidable bracket and the ultimate prize of ideological victory (with a small helping of gift cards). Fittingly, the final featured teams from each respective university. The game was tight, with points traded back and forth and a winner determined in the final play of the game.

I’d personally like to thank ASOC for an incredible job working with our own teams to produce such a smooth sailing event. But alas, Macquarie won the tournament and I can only think of one thing to say: bring on futsal.

Mock Interview

Often times, there is only one hurdle separating us from our dreams. It’s not a skill threshold. It’s not a mindset. It’s a conversation… Alright, that was a slightly conceited attempt at sounding eccentric. But in any case, Mock Interview was back in-person this year to a resounding success. The event was gifted with representatives from both SKL Actuarial and VivCourt Trading, allowing for a proper panel with experience and depth to challenge and engage the attendees.

With exercises in group interviews and case studies, the event touched on major elements in the recruitment process for employers. Although this event has run in previous years through the pandemic via an online format, the return to a traditional in-person experience provided the sorely missed element of human connection. I can only thank the organising team for their diligence in crafting such an impressive workshop. I must extend thanks to the sponsor representatives for giving their time and actively contributing towards the dialogue of the night.

Future Events?

You’ll have to stay tuned to our socials for information on upcoming events but here’s a little sneak peek at the next month:

Event	Timeframe
ASSOC Camp	24th – 26th June
ASSOC x ASOC Futsal	Early July
R Workshop	7th July
Amazing Race	Mid July
MLC Case Competition	Late July

I’ll see you back here in June for the next post. Until next time!