As a freshman two years ago, coming from the large town of Clarksville to a small town of Martin was a culture shock and in many ways could have been a reason for me to become homesick.

In the three years that I have been at Martin, I have never once experienced boredom or homesickness. Many underclassmen here at UTM experience what is known as chronic boredom, which I believe is due to the lack of simply getting out of the dorm room.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard complaints such as, “There is nothing to do on the weekends, I’m going home,” or “Martin is so boring, there is no way I want to stay here all four years.”

The primary reason students, underclassmen as well as upperclassmen, experience this is because they don’t take advantage of the great programs and activities that UTM offers. The best part about the things that UTM offer is that most can be accessed free.
There are great things like big name academic speakers, comedians, and bands that come in to do concerts. If sitting down for an hour of laughing or listening to an academic speaker doesn’t entice you, UTM offers a wide variety of sporting events that you can attend, free of charge.

Instead of sitting in front of your television at 7:00 to watch Duke stomp all other college basketball teams, head down to the Elam Center to watch UTM and support the men and women that practice daily to play for our school.

If you would rather play sports than watch them, campus recreation offers numerous activities and intramural sports to participate in. If these things don’t entice you, get involved in a service organization, and plug into some of the projects they are working on.

Now granted, Martin doesn’t offer a shopping mall, or a great place to play putt-putt, but there is usually something to do to keep you occupied. You just have to take the time to get out of your dorm room!

Get out on campus. If you will make an effort to get involved in the things going on here, it will make for a much more enjoyable place to go to school, a packed house to cheer on our sports teams, and a great community to live in.