George and Dudley Nailanie Roman
The SXU chess club has gone through a revamp, and will now be a general board game club called Cougs OB (Overboard). The club will meet every Tuesday from 5:30 P.M to 7:30 P.M in the Wiseman Lounge. The most important differences between the two versions are the games offered, and the members of the executive board.
Elizabeth George will now serve as the club’s treasurer, and Adrian Sojka will be the club’s secretary. Gavin Dudley and Adam Hudson, who founded the original club, will remain its president and vice president. They have also assigned Nailanie Roman as social media manager.
When asked about the changes among the board, Dudley stated that they were made, “in an attempt to increase meeting productivity and attract new members to Cougs OB.” he also said that a social media manager was added to increase the clubs “online visibility”.
Formerly called Checkmate, the club was centered around playing and learning chess. Now, the club will be focused on a variety of board games such as Uno, “along with some that many people may not be familiar with or have never played before” according to Dudley.
The motivation behind broadening the club’s focus was to gain more interest from the student body, and to make the club more inclusive for all involved.
“We found many of our members were already playing other games during club hours and felt it made sense to make this move,” said Hudson, who came up with the new name. He also stated that chess may have been “too restrictive or competitive for some” and that by opening up the club to other games, more people can find a place within it.
When asked about whether chess would remain in the club’s mix of games, Dudley affirmed that the game would remain. “Although the name of our club may change, chess is a game that will always be played and will never go away as it is what started our club and the heart of it,” he stated.
When I talked to George about her involvement with the club, she said that she will offer “innovative, fun ideas, organization, creativity and hopefully a new different light that will urge people to join.” For her, board games are an “escape from the real world.” For future meetings, she promises “a bunch of fun, good music, good vibes, and snacks and drinks.”
“We mulled through several names for a few weeks. Everyone pitched ideas and we eventually voted on what we liked most. I came up with COB – Cougars Over Board, it was a play on going over the top and playing over the board,” Hudson said of the renaming process. According to him, the rest of the club disliked the corn reference, so they instead opted for Cougs OB.
“We do have many events in mind that will come with prizes and events that will bring about friendly competition fostering bonds with each other,” though it’s uncertain what these events will look like beyond this semester.
Outside of regular club meetings, Cougs OB have planned a Sip N Play for Mar 28. During the event, students will be able to play games and enjoy beverages as they usher in this new version of the club.
One thing that Dudley wants readers to know is that the club is a safe space for all who attend SXU. “Our mission is to create a fun and enjoyable community where people can unwind and temporarily forget their problems while taking part in friendly rivalry and banter.”.
To keep up with Cougs OB, readers can follow them on The Den and on Instagram @sxucougsob.