CLASSU (Classics Student Union) Report 2026: Luke Lomax and Eli Vodarek-Berman
With the end of the academic year, we are pleased to report yet another successful year for both CLASSU's events and initiatives, as well as the achievements of Classics undergraduate students as a whole. Undergraduate students continue to bring positive changes and innovations to the department, and it is our pleasure to share a brief snapshot of these many achievements.
CLASSU reimagined many longstanding initiatives, from introducing new types of recipes for Ancient Food Day to planning academic seminars around important topics in classical scholarship. The executive body brought fresh ideas to these initiatives, as well as many others that we hope will continue into the future.
CLASSU also invested time in providing new projects that catered to the changing needs of students. Most significant of these was the Library Initiative, which oversaw the purchase of classical texts and course materials for the CLASSU Lounge, as well as formalizing a signout system for library materials accessible to all students. All the work conducted this year by the executive brought about positive changes to the student experience, and we cannot thank them enough for their efforts.
This year was also a success for individual student research, from research assistantships, grants & awards, fellowships, conferences, and publications, many students illustrated their research talents through a variety of means. One highlight was the publication of Plebeian XII, our student journal, which features papers of undergraduate students that cover a wide scope of remarkable topics. Plebeian XII showcases some of the immensely insightful research that the undergraduate body brings to this field. The publication’s success is thanks to the student editors and authors, with a special mention to our Editor-In-Chief, Elisa Penha.
Of course, all of this was achieved with the incredible help of the department. Faculty, staff, and graduate students have been immensely supportive of all undergraduate work, and it is their efforts that made all these initiatives possible. We would especially like to thank Professor Boys-Stones, Professor Sarah Murray, Professor Drew Davis, Angus Wilson, Dylan McKibban, and Coral Gavrilovic.