How often do you drive off campus? Do you ever attend Kiwanis meetings or visit the town hall, the chamber of commerce or the public library? There is a lot to do on campus, but what about off campus? All around us hundreds and thousands of people (like our professors) live in houses, apartments and townhouses; they work in the cooperative extensions office, public library, campus services, the post office, and businesses all over the community. To experience that life off campus, to smile and laugh with people in the community, you have to go out into it.
When I first got to Campbell, even before classes started, I went out to the town hall and asked what kinds of opportunities were available to help in the community. Admittedly, this was pretty strange behavior to begin with, but after a little bit of searching I got some good answers. I ended up in the Kiwanis club on campus and a few months later had helped found a Circle K club at Campbell. Three years and quite a few experiences later I can say that having a life off campus has made my time at Campbell worth having. Classes and labs and homework are great and all (sure they are!) but community, volunteering, shadowing, leading clubs, visiting libraries, exploring other cities and having adventures off campus is really what gives me the life to keep studying, going to class and doing all that other stuff. If you go to class, study, eat, sleep and do it all over again, stop it. Put other stuff in between. Go off campus, visit your community, get a free library card, do something crazy, skip a class or two, listen to your professors when they tell you to try some kind of ice cream at Sunni Sky's or see some exhibit at some museum. Campbell is a small place but it is part of something much bigger. Get out and experience it and have life off campus too.
