Valpo is fun, but don't take my word for it...

I thought I would offer up my blog to a current student. Susan Barnes has written down her top ten things to do at Valpo. Enjoy!

Top Ten Favorite Things to Do at Valparaiso University

1. Hanging out with my friends.
2. Playing pool at the Games and Recreational Center
3. Attending basketball games
4. Going to various activities put on by Union Board.
5. Worshiping at Candlelight and Celebrate
6. Playing at the Dunes!!
7. Attending concerts
8. Relay for Life
9. Going to the Athletics Recreational Center (ARC)
10. Colleges Against Cancer

It was actually hard to whittle down all my activities on to a list of ten but I did it! I should probably explain some of them, though. Ok, well, my name is Susan Barnes. I am a sophomore here at Valparaiso University. I am a double major in English and Secondary Education from Peoria, IL.

1. My very favorite thing to do on Valpo’s campus is to hang out with my friends. I came to this campus knowing no one and have met friends that I will be keeping for life. We do anything together from playing games to watching movies. We just love having fun and being with one another.
2. The very new games and recreational center is an awesome place to go to, again, hang out with friends and play pool, ping pong, and foosball. It is a great break between classes or studying. I’m not great at pool, but hey, I still try my best.
3. The basketball games here are awesome! Being surrounded by my friends, covered in brown and gold, cheering on our division one team… what could be better?! The Valpo vs. Butler game last year that was televised on ESPN 2 rocked!! It is completely free to students, you get a chance to win fantastic prizes, and because Valpo’s campus is medium sized, you will probably know most of the players! So much fun.
4. I am actually a member of Union Board. We try really hard to get students involved on and off campus and some of the events are really creative. Coming up we have Valpo After Dark which will have indoor ice skating, caricatures, photo snow globes, and more! I’m really excited.
5. One of the reasons I chose Valpo was for the religious life. Candlelight is on Sunday nights at 10:00 and is a beautiful traditional service where students worship by candlelight. Hence the name. Also, though, we have Celebrate. It is a more contemporary, casual service. It is led by a student band and you can go in your pajamas if you want! That is on Wednesday nights at 10:00.
6. When it is warm, one of my favorite activities is going to the Dunes. This is a beach off of Lake Michigan about 20 minutes from campus. They are beautiful and it is a great escape from every day life.
7. Several concerts are held here on campus by The Source (the campus radio station) and Union Board. Last year, I got to meet the lead singer of Dashboard Confessional and this year I was about twenty feet from Relient K!!! Also, coming up we have David Cook coming. It should turn out to be an awesome concert year.
8. Relay for Life is one of the committees I am on and it is a 12 hour commitment to raise money and walk for Cancer. We have about 50 teams on campus and all the students just have fun and hang out all night, basically, for a good cause. Great times.
9. The ARC (Athletics Recreational Center) is open to students at any time. I love going there for open swim or just to run for some exercise.
10. Colleges Against Cancer is kind of a branch off of Relay for Life. It is more individual fundraising work and volunteering for the community. It allows me to be involved philanthropic events all year round instead of one big Relay for Life night.