Campus Life

Cultural, social, and sporting activities together with wide ranging extra-curricular academic events combine to make campus life stimulating. Campus life together with the lively social environments of the two campuses host cities – Rethymnon and Heraklion – are further enriched by community access to University sport, museum, and library facilities, schools liaison, public lectures and events, volunteer activities, and multiple regional and community partnerships.

Societies

Museums

Sports

Volunteering

University Societies Rethymno

Most of Rethymnon’s student societies and cultural clubs are located in “Student steki”, in the heart of Rethymnon’s old town (82, N. Foka st). This is a lively culture hub for the entire town as it is inclusive and open to all people who wish to participate. The Music Society and the Blood Donation Group use on–campus facilities. Musical, theatrical and social events take place either on campus, or in the city in public places such as the Municipal Gardens, the Conservatory or the House of Civilization. For more information you can visit the Rethymnon Students Culture Clubs blog or contact Ms Marianna Kougitaki (tel. 2831 07 7579, email: kougitaki@uoc.gr and studentculture_club@uoc.gr and Rethymnon Students Culture Clubs email politistikes.rethymnou@gmail.com.

Road to the East

Mediterranean and the Middle East cultural Society

Theatre Group “SKINI kai SAPOUNI”

The Cinema Club

The Cinematic Society (film production)

The Music Society

The Photography Society

The Painting ‘P-Art-Y’ Society

Blood Donation Group “Blood Tribe”

University Societies Heraklio

All student societies and clubs are located on campus in Voutes. Most clubs use the Student Centre premises for their meetings, classes and rehearsals. Inside the Student Centre there is a Music studio, a dark room for the photography society, a multiple-purpose hall and offices for most of the societies. Adjacent to the Student Center there is the “Maria Manassaki” theatre where theatrical or dance performances take place. The theatre also hosts events from community social institutions or clubs. There is also a student run Radio Station, and many other groups and societies. Many cultural events and exhibitions organized by student societies take place off-campus in public venues such as the Venetian fortress, St Mark’s Basilica and the Theatrical Station. For more information see the Student Centre’s site, visit http://www.facebook.com/fk.uoc and contact the Centre’s Coordinator: Ioanna Liodaki email: fk@culture.uoc.gr Tel: +30 2810 394883 /Fax: + 30 2810 394884

Erasmus Student Network

Museums

Natural History Museum of Crete

Museum of Ancient Eleutherna

Museum of Medicine

Museum of Education

The NHMC is a pioneering institute in study and management of the natural environment in Crete, Greece and the wider Eastern Mediterranean, with public education and outreach on environmental issues as core activities.

This is an archaeological site museum, created to house the results of excavations in the ancient city of Eleutherna. The Museum’s Research Centre, open to scholars from around the world, is dedicated to the study of the Eleutherna excavations, Crete, and Mediterranean history and archaeology.

The Museum acts as a centre for the preservation, research and promotion of the History of Medicine from antiquity to the present day. The permanent exhibition alongside public events cover the history of medicine in Crete, medicinal herbs, public health, medical instruments, and medicine in art.

The Museum preserves exhibits, studies, and publicly promotes the educational school background and the history of the teaching profession during the period of Modern Greek history. Exhibits include rare evidence from the Heraklion Pedagogical Academy and school artefacts from the 18th to 20th centuries.

Sports Centers of the University of Crete

The University has excellent sports facilities at both the Rethymnon and the Heraklion campuses. These include well-equipped gymnasiums and, in the Heraklion complex, an indoor pool, as well as playing fields and mooring berths. A wide range of sporting, athletic and gymnastic programmes are offered on the campuses, ranging from yoga and Tae Kwon Do through to football, tennis, and sailing. The University also has teams training and competing in inter-departmental and inter-University league games and other contests in a number of sports, including basketball, football, and sailing.

Gallos Campus

The Gymnasium is located on the west side of the Gallos University Campus and offers students, staff and faculty the opportunity to exercise free of charge in a friendly environment. It has a fully equipped cardio-respiratory and muscle strengthening workout room and is open daily from 14:30 until 20:00.

Voutes Campus

The Sports Centre on the Voutes Campus has been operating since 2007. The 1,080 seat indoor Gym and the 25m indoor pool are open to students, staff and faculty for individual and team training/exercise daily from 08.00 until 20.30. The Centre also organizes swimming classes for children, and community events such as the annual ‘University Road Run’.

Volunteering

Volunteering enriches student life as it promotes active engagement in the community and helps students improve their skills and meet new people.

According to the definition of the General Secretariat for Youth (2011), volunteering is work or service undertaken either individually or in groups, without any expectation of or claim to material or other kind of gain, with the aim of providing support to fellow human beings and the community in general. In addition to the above, the key principles underpinning volunteering include respect for the rights, dignity and culture of all people and the promotion of equality and human rights. Volunteering is not a substitute for paid work. Volunteers do not replace paid workers and do not pose a threat to their job security.

The University of Crete offers many opportunities for participation in voluntary activities. For more information on available opportunities students can contact the Student Counseling Centre hskf@edu.uoc.gr , the Student Centre fk@culture.uoc.gr in Heraklion, the Student Centre’s Coordinator in Rethymnon skepetzi@admin.uoc.gr, and their Departments.