Student Guide 2010: Things to do without ever leaving campus

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What was that?

You’re bored? Bored? Considering how much there is to do without even leaving campus, we’re not even sure how that’s possible. Maybe you just don’t realize all that CU has to offer. Allow us to learn ya a thing or two.

The UMC

Boasting five floors and more than 200,000 square feet of space, the University Memorial Center offers the densest concentration of entertainment, culture and excitement on campus, and maybe even in all of Boulder. At the Connection, located on the first floor, you can bowl, play pool, enjoy the arcade (and free Nintendo Wii!), or just relax and catch some of the latest shows on their HDTVs. For the risk-takers among you, there are also regular free poker and billiards tournaments throughout the year.

The UMC Art Gallery, located on the second floor, is the perfect spot to enjoy the creative output of some of CU’s most talented artists, as well as work by national and international artists.

CU’s own nightclub, Club 156, has played host to numerous local up-and-comers, like Statewide Emergency and Paper Bird. Always an alcoholfree venue, this first-floor UMC hotspot is the place to be. Check out www.programcouncil.com for their schedule of events.

Speaking of Program Council, this student-run group is responsible for a ton of great (and almost always free) entertainment, from big names like the Dave Matthews Band to an impressive free film series that includes everything from cult classics to the latest blockbusters.

The Rec Center

With an ice rink, indoor track, climbing wall, racketball and squash courts, outdoor tennis courts and an eight-lane, 25-yard pool, the Student Recreation Center is one of the most comprehen sive fitness facilities in the county. Even better, membership is free for all fee-paying students. Just swipe your Buff OneCard at the door, and a world of fitness is yours. If you need a little more structure or motivation, check out the center’s list of classes and intramural and club sports at www.colorado.edu/rec-center.

For those of you who want to get huge but aren’t always on the main campus, Bear Creek Recreation Center offers many of the same amenities (minus the pool) at a satellite location, between Williams Village and the Bear Creek Apartment complex, near Baseline Road and 30th Street.

Libraries

Yes, this is still the same article, the one about having fun on campus. But libraries aren’t just for studying anymore. Located in the middle of campus, Norlin Library has a great selection of DVDs and CDs to check out, as well as a brand-new coffee shop, run by The Laughing Goat (the Goat’s main coffee shop is downtown on Pearl Street). The Howard B. Waltz Music Library, housed in the Imig Music Building, boasts more than 55,000 music recordings and more than 800 performances on video and DVD. Why not get a little culture with your fun?

For more information on CU libraries, visit ucblibraries. colorado.edu.

Coffee shops

In addition to The Laughing Goat, you can also find a Pekoe Sip House on the ground floor of the ATLAS building, a Folsom Street Coffee in Porter Biosciences, and Celestial Seasonings in the UMC, Engineering Center and Wolf Law Building.

Fiske Planetarium

Maybe you have terrible memories of second-grade field trips to the local planetarium, where you heard dry lectures about how hot the sun is and why we have eclipses.

Those field trips would have been a lot cooler with a Pink Floyd laser light show thrown in, and that’s what the folks at Fiske Planetarium think too. Every Friday night, you can catch a “Laser Floyd” program for the early show, or a band-of-the-week for the late show. Artists have included the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Marley and U2, all set to rockin’ laser displays. At five bucks per person, the price ain’t too bad, either. Their educational shows are entertaining, too, so think about catching a showing of The Many Faces of Hubble or Colorado Skies as well.

For a full schedule or more information, visit fiske.colorado.edu.

Clubs

Not to state the obvious, but CU is big. Really big. Finding something fun to do or to get involved with can seem like searching for a needle in a haystack. If you need a guiding hand, then consider one of the student clubs on campus, which focus on everything from environmental concerns to music to cultural interests. See the long list at www.colorado.edu/studentgroups.