SIG? What’s a SIG?
From its pioneer days, Carol Woods residents have jealously guarded their roles as advisors to management and as instigators and directors of campus activities. Under the umbrella of the Residents Association, our early residents formed committees that worked with management to tackle landscaping, trash collection, energy conservation, safety, and other pressing concerns of the new community. At the same time, like-minded residents began to plan and initiate educational and entertainment programs such as the Wednesday night concerts and Thursday night lectures.
Over the ensuing years, committees have proliferated: some short-lived, others permanent; some serving relatively limited interests, others affecting the broader community; some needing financial support from the Residents Association, others not. Originally, committees were seen in two broad categories: Advisory committees that closely worked with management departments to assure resident input on management decisions, and then all other committees. Later the Residents Council divided the non-advisory committees into Service Committees whose activities affected the broader needs of the community, and committees that were organized around narrower goals.
When it became evident that some of these committees did not need the formal structure, nor the record-keeping, nor reporting to the Residents Council that had been traditional, the concept of the Special Interest Group, or SIG, was born. Eventually, the Residents Council simplified matters further, placing all committees in one of three categories: Advisory Committees, Service Committees, and Special Interest Groups.
At the beginning of November, when we collected information for this story, Carol Woods Online listed 60 Special Interest Groups, covering a wide range of topics. (On CWOL, under Committees, click on Special Interest Groups.) Should you be interested in improving reading or speaking skills in a foreign language, you will find that French, German, Italian, and Spanish SIGs meet regularly on campus and welcome new members. If sports are on your mind, check out Bocce, Croquet, Ping Pong, Hiking, Beach Ball Frolics (in the pool), MIM (Movement, Imagination and Music) led by Marty Broda, and Radio Taiso (a Japanese exercise routine) led by SeonAe Yeo near her cottage or the Fitness Center every weekday morning. If you’re more of a spectator, you might watch Croquet and Bocce games on campus or join those who take the bus to attend UNC basketball games.
Those more inclined to educational pursuits might want to check out the Backyard Astronomy, Philosophy, Book Review, Travel Network, Senior Seminars, and Poetry Reading groups. Crafters can find like-minded artistic friends among the KnitWits, Collage, Pottery, or Crafty Memory Makers SIGs. There are multiple options for music-lovers, such as joining those who watch and listen to the Berlin Philharmonic on Saturdays, checking out Music Among Us (sing-alongs with Katie Every and Maggie Crandell once a month in the Building 5 Living Room and twice a month with the Ukelele players in the Social Lounge). There are also Jazz, Folk Music, and Dance SIGs.
Some SIGs are devoted to providing services to the Carol Woods community: the Rose Garden Volunteers tend the roses; the Rain Gauge group measures and posts daily rainfall on campus; the Companion Corps and the Vigil Corps provide help and companionship to residents in the Higher Levels of Service (HLOS); Grandma’s Closet collects toys and books for visiting grandchildren to borrow; and the Staff Clothing Closet volunteers sort, store, and organize clothing donated by residents. The latter two SIGs have had to pause their activities because their space in the basement was flooded last summer. They plan to re-open in different locations by the end of the year.
Increasing social engagement across the campus is the primary focus of the Men’s Breakfast, Friendship Network, LGBTQIA, and Retired Peace Corps SIGs. The Peace and Justice, Climate Crowd, News Circle, Carol Woods Democrats, Election Engagement, and the NC Continuing Care Residents Association (NorCCRA) SIGs attract the activist and politically minded among us. Faith-based SIGs bring together residents who share a faith tradition and invite others to join them in fellowship and to learn about their traditions. Among them are the Catholic, Episcopal, and Presbyterian Communities, the First Friday Shabbat, Jewish Film Festival, and Jewish Literature SIGs.
Finally there are SIGs that are hard to categorize but are enjoyed by many: Electric Vehicles, Farmers and North Gardens, Railroads (model trains), Meditation, Memoirs (writing), Genealogy (research), Improv Theater, and Movies Worth a Second Look.
SIGs may be described as more “slippery” than the Advisory and Service committees. Sometimes the “group” is only one or two people who do something that others are invited to enjoy (e.g., the Berlin Philharmonic and Movies Worth a Second Look). They are easy to form, don’t necessarily hold regular meetings, and do not require application forms or annual reports. The only requirement for getting started is to notify the Residents Association president of the intent to form the group. The president will inform the webmaster, who will create a CWOL page, and ask a member to post information about it. From that point on, the group is on its own and may dissolve or change directions as interests shift.
Carol Woods residents tend to stay busy, and many already participate in informal groups not associated with the Residents Association, such as game nights, bridge games, and book clubs. But if you have a lazy afternoon, explore the descriptions of the Special Interest Groups on CWOL. You may find a new interest or renew an old one, join, and make new friends.