This past weekend, October 4-6, Dyson’s Society of Fellows hosted their annual weekend retreat—this year in Stony Point, NY, at the Stony Point Center. It was a roaring success: students got to disconnect from the internet and reconnect with nature and their minds for the weekend. If you’re a Dyson student who’s looking to branch out, The Society of Fellows might be the community for you. 

Dyson’s Society of Fellows is run by a community of academics, but at the forefront, Dr. Judith Pajo is the chair, an ethnologist and theologian. Among other notable faculty were the two co-leaders, Dr. Marcella Szablewicz a professor of Communication and Media Studies on the NYC campus, Dr. Ying Wang, a professor of Modern Languages and Cultures on the NYC campus, and the faculty advisor, Dr. Emilio Fernández, a professor of mathematics on the Pleasantville campus. They shaped this weekend into one packed full of memorable talks and transgressive activities. 

Now you may be wondering: what do we mean by “transgressive?” Honestly, I was asking the same question before attending this retreat. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines transgression as “infringement or violation of a law, command, or duty.” As I learned growing up, transgression was crime, so to transgress was to commit a crime. What I learned this weekend was to *transgress* my preconceived notions of what it means to transgress; in other words, I learned that to transgress was to break the rules and surpass norms and expectations, and that’s not always a negative thing. 

Throughout history, we’ve seen the most remarkable historical figures get to their status by breaking the rules, by transgressing prior assumptions. This weekend was full of stimulating discussions from Pleasantville and NYC faculty regarding transgression in their fields—we even talked about the transgressive power of bears, which is more surprising than you’d think. 

Not only were we constantly intellectually stimulated, but at the nighttime campfires, we were encouraged to ditch our phones and contribute to conversations about FOMO in the digital age. We had daily outdoor time, and even enjoyed most of our meals surrounded by the changing leaves in the bright sunlight. This was time to reconnect with nature and reconnect with our intellect. 

In order to become an inducted member of Dyson’s Society of Fellows, you must attend two events hosted by them. This is typically a weekend retreat, hosted every fall semester, and a research presentation where you present research that you did under the watch of a faculty member, hosted every spring semester. In addition, there are opportunities to publish your research in the Society of Fellows annual magazine, Transactions. I can’t recommend joining this group enough—having the weekend to reduce my screen time and really interact with my peers in an intellectually stimulating way was more than I could’ve hoped for from this weekend. And the cherry on top: Dyson paid for this event! A whole weekend without having to worry about paying for my food—sign me up!