Students

College Events

College Events

A past Dean of St Mark's often said that "You go to University to get a qualification; you go to St.Mark's to get an education". Certainly we take academic achievement seriously here, and St.Mark's students consistently get high results in uni exams. The 2006 academic results for St.Mark's Students again showed above average performances. Apart from a pass rate of over 93% in all subjects attempted, it is gratifying to note that over 50% of subjects passed were graded as credits or higher. And of students taking the exams, 90% gained a credit or better in at least one subject. Since opening in 1925, St.Mark's has produced 30 Rhodes scholars.

But there is a lot more to life at St.Mark's than study; this is a fun and vibrant community, which encourages students to participate in a plethora of activities. Whatever your background interest, there'll be plenty of opportunities to get involved in College life - be it on the stage or sportsfield, in the spheres of music, drama, or journalism, through outreach to the community, or just by coming along to any or all of the College events. Below is a list of some of the shows put on by the student club - and we always welcome new ideas.

O'Week - This is where the year begins. It's a fantastically frantic and frenzied week, jam-packed with stacks of events all with one aim: to ensure you get to meet as many other students as possible. It’s a great bonding excerise for the whole college. At its end you may be exhausted, but you'll sure feel at home here. And it happens all over again at the start of second semester.

College Ball - Acclaimed by many as the highlight of the year: students get decked out in their formal gear, and dance the night away to the smooth and sultry sounds of a jazz and swing band.

SAAUCC Ball - Like the College ball, but this one involves students from all Residential Colleges in Adelaide, not just St.Mark's (SAAUCC = South Australian Association of University College Clubs.)

Garden Party - If you happen to be taking a stroll down Pennington Terrace one sunny afternoon in April, you just may see a gregarious group of elegant Marksmen and women milling around the rose garden, garbed in turn-of-the-century costume, engaged in civilized conversation, and downing copious amount of strawberries, champagne, cucumber sandwiches and, of course, mountains of fairy floss. Lots of photo opportunities here!

College Play - Whether you've acted before or not, here's your chance to strut your stuff. Past productions have been Oscar Wilde's best known play "The Importance of Being Earnest". Whatever script we decide to update and adapt in 2007, consider auditioning for a part - and if learning lines isn't your thing, we always need hands backstage.

Variety Evening - The V.E. is a light-hearted series of songs and skits about life here at St.Mark's - and it's another opportunity for budding thespians to find their fifteen minutes of fame.

Alpine Day - An event quite unique to St.Mark's - and one that's top secret too. If you want to be one of those in the know, you'll have to come along and hunt yetis for yourself.

Prosh Breakfast & Parade - Organised by Adelaide Uni, Prosh is a week devoted to raising money for charity. It also provides an excellent excuse for students to run wild, pulling crazy stunts on an unsuspecting public all in the name of being a good citizen. For St.Mark's students, Prosh involves a chicken and champagne breakfast on the Friday morning, after which students pile into the College Gas Truck (a 1936 Dodge which is the pride and joy of St.Mark's and which has recently been fully renovated, transporting us to social and sporting events). The Gassie leads the procession of Uni of Adelaide floats which slowly winds its way through the streets of our fair city - again with the aim of raising money.

Port 'n' Talks - Fairly self-explanatory: we invite a guest speaker, who talks while we drink port. Previous speakers included the Honourable Gough Whitlam, Senator Natasha Stott-Despoja, Mr Robert Champion de Crespigny, the Chief Justice John Doyle, and Mr. Peter Goers on Gallipoli.

Marksenfest - A Mark's style Oktoberfest. It's a chance to sample various exotic imported brews; there's also an oompah-band, home brew-competition, dunking machine, tug-o-war contests, and an all manner of other cool and froody forms of entertainment.

Footy Show - When we beat the other Colleges in the Footy tournament (which we tend to do with delightful frequency) we like to celebrate in style, with bonfire, beer, jukebox, and excessive quantities of hot and greasy chips - and, of course, the re-enactment of every point, every goal, and every hanger. Apparently.

Douglas Irving Cup (High Table Cup Show) - Whether or not you think you possess the skill and talent to play a sport with any degree of prowess, you're encouraged to try out at training - or, if you genuinely believe you're utterly incapable of participating in any form of physical activity, you can come along and support the College from the sidelines. St. Mark's College won the Cup in 2002; 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, six years in succession. Sports played are tennis, swimming, cricket, basketball, soccer, netball, volley ball, table tennis, football, debating, hockey and athletics, And when we win, we throw a party. It's like the Footy Show, the only real difference being that it's held in October, not May.

Arts Evenings - These happen once or twice a term in the Ballroom in Downer House. The less artistically-inclined of us sit back, to be serenaded by our talented musos and entertained by our aspiring actors.

And in addition to this there are the Quiz Nights, Toga Party, Final Dinner, Wine-tasting courses, Self-Defence courses, and basically anything else that takes your fancy. Plus it's all massively subsidised by your friendly College Club, so it's amazingly under-priced as well, if not free.