Now that a couple of weeks of school have gone by and your schedule has resolved, you might find yourself with more free time than you expected. While it might be nice to flip open your laptop and scroll Facebook, play some “Call of Duty,” crank out Snapchats or grind some Netflix, I urge you to reconsider. The University of Northern Iowa has a large variety of student groups, and you are sure to find an activity or student group tailored to your interests. In addition to passing the time in a more productive way, there are plenty of other benefits to gain from attending student organization meetings and other events on campus.

I found the right student organization for me, because I knew what I was looking for. I came to UNI as a transfer student from Scott Community College. I spent my time there with a few of my very good friends from high school. Between our classes and over lunch we would discuss politics, religion and recent events. Therefore, when I transferred to UNI I knew exactly what I wanted in a group of friends; I wanted a group of friends who also enjoyed talking about ideas and sought after stimulating conversation. I found these qualities immediately in the members of the UNI Freethinkers & Inquirers.

You may not find the right group on the first try. At least, that was my experience. A large portion of my first semester at UNI was spent sampling different student organizations. While I maintained consistent involvement in UNIFI, I also attended Gamer Brigade, Math Club, Philosophy Club, Anime Club and I even tried Ultimate Frisbee. Eventually, I only continued to attend UNIFI and Philosophy Club, but I made friends and connections in the other student groups and so the endeavor proved worthwhile regardless.

If you are not interested in joining a student organization, there are still events on campus that will help you to spend your time. I had the good fortune of being required to attend events related to the arts on campus due to my Humanities I class. In my quest to attend three arts related events, I saw performances of classical music. I had never experienced live classical music before in my entire life. Since then, it has become difficult to listen to standard radio. One of the performances that I attended was Annual UNI Varsity Men’s Glee Club Christmas Variety Show, which made me decide to join the ensemble in the following semester. Almost every night there are talented musicians, usually UNI students, playing in Davis Hall in GBPAC. Don’t waste the opportunity to enjoy fine art for free.

If you cannot find an organization to get involved with that suits you or find a performance on campus, often times there are lectures in the evenings. Last year, the Philosophy Department put on multiple interesting lectures. One of them was about the intent behind the book of Job, and that it was perhaps written as a satire. Another was about the ethics of eating meat. Even the Math Department hosts a lecture series. The Hari Shankar Memorial Lecture Series is a lecture series, which prides itself in presenting mathematics to laypeople. The lectures that I have attended from this series were both interesting and accessible.

So, the next time you reach for your phone and mindlessly destroy an hour of your life by refreshing your newsfeed on Facebook, think again. There are connections waiting to be made, ideas waiting to be ruminated on and experiences to be had. Fully immerse yourself in the liberal arts experience.