Something to do at FMU
“There’s nothing to do at FMU on the weekends.”
Most students, especially those who stay on campus on the weekends, are often bored and looking for something to do that won’t drain their funds or take a ton of energy. I’m guilty of it, too. I’ve spent countless hours scrolling through social media newsfeeds and binge watching TV shows I’ve seen several times. It’s easy to forget the resources FMU offers, but there are so many things to do here.
The University Center (UC) offers plenty of entertainment, and it’s open every day. Students can swim in the pool, play ping pong or visit the sauna. Upstairs, there are pool tables and places to sit and play cards or board games.
It’s hard to be bored when all these activities are offered for free. Yes, I know, it’s easier to just stay inside and watch TV, but the endless sense of boredom won’t go away with another season of your favorite reality show.
Hanson Park, behind the Cottage and the Wallace House, provides a relaxing place to read, paint, or set up a picnic. Art students can often be found painting and sketching the flowers and small fishponds.
Behind the Lee Nursing Building is another great spot to have a picnic and explore. I love taking walks over the bridges and around the pond. For nature lovers like myself, the nature walk is a fun way to get friends together and do something fun. It’s just a short walk through the trees off of Wallace Woods Road.
Some of my favorite activities while living in the dorms freshman year were the regular games of hide-and-seek, Frisbee and manhunt. The fields beside the UC are the perfect starting place for hide-and-seek and manhunt, and there’s enough room for several games of Frisbee or kickball.
At the far side of the field stands the observatory, which has incredible astronomy programs on most weekends. The planetarium in Cauthen Education Media Center also has a variety of great shows, usually on Sundays. It’s always amazing to look up at the stars and planets and learn a bit about what’s really out there.
If you live on campus, you are probably surrounded by other people in your hall or apartment, but it might be difficult to meet new friends. Finding a club you enjoy might sound like another commitment on top of your hours of homework, but it’s one of the easiest ways to make friends. I’ve found many friends by going to club-sponsored events and meetings. Most clubs don’t meet on weekends, so that doesn’t help my weekend slump of boredom, but I can always plan movie nights and ramen noodle dinners with other club members.
Student life on campus might be dead every weekend, but it doesn’t have to be. We have all the resources to make FMU a fun place, and we just have to choose to use them. It’s even easy to find out about these resources. Resident Assistants know about what goes on at FMU and can tell you about events and activities. I usually look on FMU’s online calendar to find events if I haven’t seen them advertised on posters around the school. Everyone passes event posters on the way to class, and we all could find the fun we’re craving by just leaving our rooms.
Instead of sitting in my room all weekend, I’m going to start taking advantage of the entertainment FMU offers, and I hope you’ll join me.
