Hello spring time. Finally, we have beautiful weather again. It’s really nice to see everyone sitting outside, whether it’s just at the tables outside of the dining areas or relaxing in the quad. It’s about time we are allowed to put away our winter clothing and break out the flip flops and shorts. What I am most excited for is that with the beautiful weather come more events being hosted outside, especially in the quad, where everyone can come together before the end of the semester. That being said, I’d like to address one serious complaint I hear more often than not on this campus. It varies between freshman and upperclassmen, but either way it merits some discussion.

As a freshman, I watched as my fellow freshmen were excited to go to events put on by SCOPE and other clubs and organizations. I also watched many who took the opposite route and missed every event they could. As we transitioned into the status of upperclassmen, I watched people’s enthusiasm subside, laziness grow, and heard the complaining worsen. It made for some really happy people to deal with.

Many people complain, probably on an hourly basis, that there is “absolutely nothing to do on this campus.” I usually start hearing this from the upperclassmen that lose interest in events on campus, followed by freshman who never really tried to get involved. It may shock some of you when you hear this, but there is actually an obnoxious amount of events going on each and every day. Well then, if that’s the case, why are people complaining that there is nothing to do? The answer to this is simple: laziness.

I’m sure all of you receive the massive amounts of emails daily for events happening on campus. I’m also sure that most of you are probably annoyed at all of these emails as well. Hence, this is what I figure happens. Each email, unless it’s from a teacher, friend, financial aid, or the bursar’s office, is deleted without ever being opened. Now I understand that you may not be interested in every event that happens on this campus, but there has to be something that interests you out there. It takes two seconds to open an email to see what it says. Something might even catch your eye and spark your interest enough so that you actually go to an event for once.

Throughout the week and especially on the weekends, there are always shows, trips, comedians, magicians, or movies that you can go see on this campus if fun events are the type of events that interest you. If you are someone that enjoys free stuff and novelty items, there is usually something going on during the week that you can get your hands on. Last week I got a free sweatshirt that had my name in graffiti on it. Other items at the event included hats, basketballs, mugs, and dog tags. If it’s free, you should be one of those people on line to get something for yourself. If you enjoy events that are educational in nature, some club or organization is always putting on a lecture with a guest speaker of some sort, putting on programs to raise awareness, or doing trips to places you may not normally visit. It’s not hard to find something to attend. All it takes is for you to open a few emails instead of deleting all of them in one click.

I’ve always believed that events do not come to you. If you spend all of your time in your dorm room, sitting on your bed, playing video games, or watching TV, sure enough you will be bored really quickly. If that’s the case, then sure enough you have nothing to do, because your room isn’t going to be very exciting. Get up, open your email, and check out what is going on this week. Make use of these last few weeks before school ends and go to some of the fantastic events that are coming up, including everything that happens during Spring Weekend.

I expect to see more students at events on campus. You pay to go to school here, you pay to attend classes, and you pay to live here. Get the full experience and make sure that your money goes to good use. If you aren’t happy with the events that are being planned, and you cannot find anything of interest to you, then plan something yourself with your club or organization or join an organization, like SCOPE, that has a big part in planning events on campus.