By Viktoria Ristanovic
Correspondent
Attending Hogwarts, casting wizard spells and competing in “Harry Potter” themed activities has become a magical reality for students at the College.
The Order of the Nose-Biting Teacups, the “Harry Potter” club on campus, hosted its annual sorting ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 12, in Trenton Hall.
The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement as new members were placed into their Hogwarts houses as an initiation to the organization.
During the ceremony, members were called to the front of the room, seated in a chair and had an authentic “Harry Potter” wizard hat placed upon their head.
Each member was then called into one of the four houses — Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin, according to Anna Chervinsky, the club’s publicist and a junior technology engineering and education double major.
Chervinsky, who is a member of the Hufflepuff house, said that promoting inclusion is the main purpose of the organization.
“We try to do many mixed meetings and gather all the houses together,” Chervinsky said. “This club has an accounting system. All the houses each have points that are collected over the year. There’s a victory feast at the end of the year after all the points are gathered.”
According to the club’s website, the Order of the Nose-Biting Teacups is a registered chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance, an “international nonprofit with a goal to advocate worldwide for education, literacy and LGBTQAI+ rights.”
The president of the organization, Kelly Bobchin, a senior psychology major and Ravenclaw, discussed how accepting the club is to new members and the lifelong friendships formed with one another.
“It makes it easier for more nervous people to reach out and make friends,” she said. “Almost all of my friends in college are from this club, you meet really cool people through it.”
With the stress of school, exams and quizzes, students find the club to be an escape from reality.
“It’s a very welcoming environment and something nice to look forward to after class,” said Maria Degenova, a sophomore fine arts major.
Other members chimed in with their opinions and stories of the club.
Em Triolo, a junior biomedical engineering major, described herself as the ultimate “Harry Potter” fan growing up.
“I was super into ‘Harry Potter’ in middle school and I came here and found this club. I joined it because it was a way for me to meet friends,” she said.
The club meets every Tuesday at 8:30 p.m., and incorporates several activities for its members to enjoy, including themed scavenger hunts, movie nights, craft night, potions night, improv night, and a grand Yule Ball — which is an elaborate dinner held on Christmas night of a tournament year in the “Harry Potter” books — during the holiday season.
“We invite other clubs to join us for the events we plan out,” Chervinsky said. “Last year, we teamed up with the swing club for the Yule Ball.”
From die-hard “potterheads” to anyone who’s dipped their toes into the wizard world, The Order of the Nose-Biting Teacups is always looking to share its beloved wizarding world with a new class of students at the College.
