Darkstar is the Science Fiction and Gaming Club at the University of California, San Diego. The club was formed in 1978 to gather together all those interested in Science Fiction and Fantasy, and somehow has survived intact to the present day.

We are part of G.E.E.K., a coalition of fandom-related clubs at UCSD, that maintains a UCSD-wide calendar of geeky events.

Affiliation with UCSD is not necessary to participate in Darkstar: we have a vast and diverse array of members including UCSD students, staff, alumni, as well as members of wider San Diego fandom otherwise unaffiliated with the university.

We maintain a large lending library, with reguarly scheduled office hours. We used to (and will once again) hold regular monthly boardgaming sessions, watch movies, show movies on campus, go stargazing, attend conventions, and more. Organized by our alumni, every Thursday evening at 7:30 PM, members of fandom from across San Diego meet a different local restaurant for good food and camaraderie.

For more information about the club, please continue to read below, come to our regular open library hours, or attend one of our events. You may contact us via email at darkstar@ucsd.edu.

We have a Facebook group, which you are welcome to join!

Bored? Our Club Constitution is available for your reading pleasure.

E-mail Announcement/Discussion Lists

To receive email announcements of our events, as well as the occasional SF- or gaming-related discussion, join our mailing list: scifi @darkstar. Also, watch our Twitter feed: Darkstar_SciFi for announcements of unexpected library hours, and such things.

Our Location & Library/Office Hours

Our office and library are located in the colorful Ché Café complex of buildings at the south end of the UCSD campus, across the street from the main campus cooling plant.

For directions to the Che Cafe, see UCSD's Maps and Driving Directions page. As of Fall 2006, parking is free on the weekends in all standard spaces (including meters).

Office/Library Hours for Winter 2012:
Mondays: 3 - 5 PM
Tuesdays: 11 AM - 1 PM; 3 - 5:30 PM
Wednesdays: None (yet)
Thursdays: 3 - 5 PM
Fridays: late afternoon - later (Games & Readings)
Saturdays: None (yet)
Sundays: 1 - 3 PM
(and various unexpected times announced through twitter)
If you don't think you can make it to the library during these hours, but would like to check out or return a book, please contact the Secretary, Chad Morse, (858) 699-7396, to schedule a time to visit the library.

Our office phone is (858) 534-7491(currently disconnected), but we're only likely to answer it during the office hours listed above.We do respond to all messages left on our answering machine, though it might take several weeks for us to get back to you.

The Anne Proud Memorial Library

Darkstar's extensive library contains more than 5,000 fiction and non-fiction books within the science fiction and fantasy genres. Additionally, our collection of such magazines as Fantasy & Science Fiction and Astounding reaches back to the early 1940s.

Borrowing privileges are extended to Darkstar members (student & community members alike) and to students/staff of UCSD. If you're not a club member, it's easy to become one: just show up at the library during our open hours.

Our library is named after Anne Proud, a long-time Los Angeles-area science fiction reader whose extensive collection formed the nucleus of our library. We are grateful to her and her estate for their generosity.

Contacting Darkstar

Generally, e-mail may be sent to darkstar@ucsd.edu. Mail sent to this address is automatically forwarded to the officers of the club.

If, on the other hand, you'd like to e-mail a specific officer, try one of the following addresses:

• Jesse Weinstein, Pale Gray Lord/Co-President, president@darkstar.ucsd.edu
• Geoffrey Bugaisky, Slightly Darker Lord/Co-President, president@darkstar.ucsd.edu
• Alex Peterson, Chief Wraith/V.P., vp@darkstar.ucsd.edu
• Aiyana Ballin, Root of Evil/Treasurer & Bookworm/Chief Librarian, treasurer@darkstar.ucsd.edu
• Chad Morse, Keeper of the Mislaid Runes/Secretary, secretary@darkstar.ucsd.edu

If you'd like to send us postal mail, here's our address:

        Darkstar
        University of California, San Diego
        Mail Code 0077 C-46
        La Jolla, CA  92093-0077
    

History of the Che Cafe buildings

The buildings comprising the Ché Café complex were built in 1922 on US Army land which is now UCSD's Thornton Hospital. In 1959, the Army ceded control over Camp Matthews to the newly-established UCSD; and in 1966 the three buildings were moved across campus to create the university's first student center.

Since 1966, the complex has housed a short-order grill, the campus newspaper, and several student organizations. Currently, Darkstar shares our office space with the College of Saint Artemas, the local branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and shares the complex with the eponymous Ché Café Collective, who host frequent alternative music shows and the occasional all-you-can-eat vegan meal.