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With that said, I always find it puzzling why many cannot grasp the aversion to campus participation that so many students have. Talk to any organization leader or involved student on campusčit’s hard to get people to come to events on campus. Hell, it’s difficult to get commuter students on campus for anything besides class.

Last year, the University of Minnesota’s Boynton Health Services submitted a survey to students at colleges and universities across the state. This survey, ambiguously titled the CORE survey, showed Hamline students engaging in alcohol, tobacco and drug usage at markedly higher level than students at any other college or university in the state.
Although the school-by-school numbers weren’t released publicly, I imagine this news had a sobering effect on our administration (sorry, can’t resist an easy pun). One such reaction was the creation of the “Where’s The Fun!?” (WTF?) program (Kelly Krebs, apparently, can’t resist a good pun, either). This program ferries Hamline students all around the Twin Cities on Friday or Saturday nights to late-night fun at the Roseville 4 Theater, the Metrodome and even the Guthrie Theater for little or no cost.

As much as I like this program, it highlights a central problem for our campus. Hamline students need to leave campus to entertain themselves, and sometimes, it’s quite far away. I love the Midway neighborhood, but I can understand why Hamline students need to leave it on the weekends. After all, Black Sea and Hamline Hardware aren’t my idea of a crazy Saturday night.

So, what do we on our weekends? Well, if you’re looking for something exciting on campus, it’s unlikely that the university proper will be providing it. Student organizations do a wonderful job of filling our time with music, food and entertainment. Their function, however, is not to entertain all of Hamline on every Friday and Saturday night.

You want to stop by the Bush Student Center for a fun-filled night of soda pop and XBOX, you say? Sorry, closed. The student center, along with almost everything else of weekend entertainment-value on campus, will be closed during the weekend.

The problems don’t end with scheduling. Why would you want to hang out at the student center anyway? For the one big-screen television screen in the basement? To check your mailbox, again and again? To play Judge Dredd pinball? Certainly not. You’re a 21st century woman/man. Looking back and thinking forward does not involve your participation with this student center.

So, what do you do? You go back to your dorm or apartment and begin planning for your night of fun. Often, this will involve activities that make administrators lose sleep at night. You know what I’m talking about. Activities that will be mentioned in the next CORE survey.

So what do we do about these problems, Hamline? Working people of the world unite, and build a new student center! Take note of what other MIAC schools have done, and surpass their student centers. Obviously, some other schools have greater incentives to provide on-campus entertainment. Can you think of anything exciting to do near the Concordia-Moorhead or St. John’s campus? Exactly.

And while we’re somewhat on the subject, you’ll never stop students from drinking or doing whatever CORE activities they please. As an institution, the best Hamline can hope for is curtailing binge-drinking and promoting responsibility.

With that said, why not include a bar in this dream student center of the future? Open it up on Fridays and Saturdays for a few hours, and only stock it with beer and wine--Mike’s Hard if you’re feeling wild. Only serve to students with their student IDs and driver’s license. Drinks would be a bit overpriced, as is everything on campus; you’re paying for convenience. After a half hour, the security guard’s salary is already paid, I can guarantee it.

When the new student center is built, I know the powers-that-be will be certain to include other avenues for entertainment. Televisions, kiosks and other amenities are a good place to start. Assuming the goal is to keep students on-campus and out of trouble, students need a plausible outlet for weekend activities.

Strategic planning committee, Board of Trustees, Linda Hanson, heed my words: if you build it, they will come. Oh, people will most definitely come.