The Weekend Struggle at the University of New England

The University of New England is known for its excellent academic offerings and attractive campus, offering students an enjoyable environment where they can further their education. On the other hand, a lot of students say that campus life is dead on the weekends, some even compare it to a ghost town.

Students’ weekend experiences have become more disappointing, and some are even thinking about switching to another University  with a more active social scene. Nathan Delgado, a sophomore football player, was one such student who offered his thoughts on the UNE weekend vibe.

“If it wasn’t for the sports teams, I don’t know if there would be any events to go around here,” Delgado said. Delgado’s reaction, when questioned about the party scene, confirmed the campus’s peaceful atmosphere. “This is the last thing from a party school. Sometimes people off-campus will throw a party, but other than that, people just get together in someone’s dorm.”

Delgado was not the only one to feel this way, Kendall Gallaugher a sophomore on the volleyball team at the University also expressed how she felt about the campus’s weekend life.  

“I mean there isn’t much to do around here on the weekends but that’s why you have to do your research before deciding which college you choose”, she replied. Gallaugher is from Chicago so there is no option of going home. “The dorm parties are not bad if you know people but outside of that there are not really any parties going on in Biddeford, Maine in my opinion”.

The opinions of students like Delgado and Gallaugher might not be too far off from reality, based on an examination of UNE’s activity list. Even though the university hosts a few activities, few of the events manage to grab many of the students’ interest. This brings up a very important question,  how can the university improve the weekend experience for the young adults living on campus?

Receiving more direct feedback from students about the types of events they want to see on campus is one way the university can be a good way to begin to tackle the issue . Planning events that actually appeal to the campus community rather than the people who attended college much longer than the students now. UNE may use polls or student-led committees instead of depending on just ideas from teachers and staff who might not fully understand the current student interests. Another idea could be to see what other universities are doing that have a high campus life. Viewing ideas from  schools that students are ecstatic at could give the other advisors creative ideas.

Better promotion of current school events is another possible enhancement. It’s possible that many students are clueless of the activities taking place on campus since they aren’t properly promoted. By using dynamic multimedia boards, social media campaigns, or direct email notifications, UNE might improve its efforts to communicate and inform students about upcoming activities. The more the university can spread the word about events going on around campus the more students can hype up the event to their friends.

The truth is that things have changed. Students today expect exciting, energetic events that they can talk about and await long after the weekend is over. UNE could alter its weekend culture and make the campus more alive and unique by paying attention to feedback from students and adding more engaging programming. Will the university try to make the change or continue to have students transfer or be more miserable each weekend.