Do not be misinformed! Remember those cardboard adorned knights in armor dueling it out in the commons the week before break? Although that could've been considered a sad sci-fi performance, it had absolutely nothing to do with JMU's original Science Fiction Fantasy Guild. "We wouldn't want anyone to think we made our swords out of cardboard," said graduate student Mike Timonin, a proud guild member. While they are NOT spending their time dressing up in cardboard boxes, the Science Fiction Fantasy Guild is sharing conversation about movies, books, upcoming events and pretty much any other topics in (or out) of this world.

Members of the guild summed up their meetings by telling me, "Each one is an hour of hanging out, having a good time, and laughing at inside jokes." Senior Scott Smith, the guild leader, said, "We are a fairly relaxed bunch. We don't take ourselves, or anything, seriously." This became clear when the group engaged in a poll, by a show of hands. The question posed was, "Can you pass for normal?" Five out of the eleven members present raised their hands, not including the one member whose shirt read, "I do whatever the voices in my head tell me to do."

When I asked what the term "guild" implied, I was told that it had a nice fantasy ring to it and it distinguished the organization from a "club," which is often associated with sports. At the meeting I went to, freshman Nathan "Twiggy" Twigg received an enthusiastic round of applause for convincing most of his suitemates, who are "sports guys," to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The guild also talked about the upcoming new releases of X-Men and Dungeons and Dragons and made a few finalizing plans for their annual "It's Freakin' Freezing" party, which takes place every winter and honors Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and other yuletide like festivities. Additionally, they brought up their annual Madicon convention as well as the New Market Swing Dance.

\According to many members, I happened to come to a meeting on a night where there wasn't too much to talk about. However, the conversation never lulled. The members discussed various things such as, "Corn: you can pop it," and "People in glass houses should never ..." Subtle horseplay was also engaged, including throwing dice around and smacking each other with their hats.

This does not, however, imply that the Science Fiction Fantasy Guild is entirely jovial. It is an organization of students, many who even travel from other universities to attend meetings at JMU, and includes one man who has been a member for nine years. The guild caters to an intriguing culture and artistic genre. It's not just a club, it's a guild.