Hey everyone! My name is Riley Lutz, and I’m excited to announce my candidacy for Director of Social for the 2025-2026 academic year.
I know that social interaction plays a vital role in our academic success and well-being. Whether it’s collaborating on that one vexing group project, networking for our career, or just doing a bit of trolling in the CCSS lounge, staying connected with peers is part of what makes our CS journey worth experiencing.
My goal as Director of Social is to create engaging events that help students build friendships, develop communication skills, and make lasting memories - all while fostering a strong sense of community within our club. Here’s some ways I plan to make this happen:
One of the best ways to learn and grow in computer science is through a little friendly competition! I plan to organize team-based events that challenge participants while keeping things fun and engaging. Some ideas include coding tug of war matches, capture the flag games, and relay-based coding races! These’ll give us a chance to sharpen up our skills while engaging in a tad of friendly rivalry!
It can be easy to catch a case of tunnel vision when on the course grind, so I want to create welcoming spaces where you can meet professors, upper-years, and those in your own year in a relaxed setting. Some examples of this would be Icebreaker activities, “ask me anything” panels, and speed friending, not to mention first-year oriented events!
Gaming is something many of us just don’t get tired of, and I want to make sure that we continue to host events that let students lock in and show what they’re made of! If elected, I will do my best to cater to both the casual and competitive gaming audience, via party game nights (Jackbox, Smash Brothers, draw.io), structured tourneys(Valorant, Marvel Rivals, Overwatch) and more!
Us computer scientists have to unstick ourselves from those screens at some point, so as Director of Social I would put an emphasis on events allowing us to touch a bit of grass and get back in touch with nature! To start off, I feel like students often don’t feel incentivised to explore Ottawa’s paths and trails, so some hikes and trail walks would be something I would put together throughout the year. Organizing recreational sports matches, ice skating, swimming, and group gym workouts to get the blood pumping are some other ideas I’d put into practice in this position.
As Director of Social, my priority would be to make our club a place where everyone feels welcome, engaged and involved in our community. I want to hear your thoughts as well - this club is for all of us, after all! I aim to maintain an open-door policy and keep my ear close to the ground for the next big idea, so please don’t hesitate to reach out!
