Every year all around the world numerous high school juniors and seniors wait in anticipation for their college acceptance letters from various institutions. What many of these college institutions do not realize, however, is that for many of their students the academic education that is offered is not the only reason that so many individuals flock onto their college campuses. For many students the on campus life is a major aspect that can draw them to a particular school. For smaller colleges the on-campus living that is desired by so many college students fails to measure up to their expectations come Friday night and into the weekend.

It is said that much of the college learning experience takes place outside of the classroom but in a lot of ways if a college is unable to hold the attention of its students during the weekend something vital to their education is missing. Students travel home for the last three days of the week because they have nothing to entertain them on campus. Therefore, smaller college campus needs to successfully cultivate a space where students feel safe, feel the freedom to learn and have the community in all areas of their lives.

The truth is that entertainment has a huge impact on how the world is educated regardless of the format in which it is presented. With this in mind then a college campus along with the members of its administration should encourage maximum creativity among its students. It is a common belief among member of society that “ schools are factories for socializing children to fit into bureaucracies at the cost of independence and joy of life” (Maccoby, 227). If this idea is, in fact, true then society needs to redetermine what the learning experience is about.When receiving a college education is only about being able to get a good job then the true value of being educated has been lost.

The solution to the problem of keeping students on campus during the weekend although it has complexities to it is rather simple. Smaller campuses such as Simpson University need to be able to more effectively communicate to students that there are events happening around campus. Even with the extensive amount of advertising that goes on around every inch of Simpson, there still seems to be a disconnect between the event itself and the overall community the event attempts to create. The whole purpose of putting on campus events is so the students who live there will be entertained. However, if events are being put on and there is a low turnout or people leave after a short time because those individuals were not entertained.

Therefore, one possible way to fix this issue is to provide students with more platforms to advertise on other than walls around campus, chapel, and the campus-wide app. In addition, to advertising in these ways that are already in place, there should be additional incentives. For example, the people who put on the event could give out gift cards to places around the Redding area like Target, Starbucks or Barnes and Noble that are relevant to the students needs and not always limited to places around campus like the Bean Scene or the campus bookstore. The events could also be advertised by writing an announcement on the napkins or disposable coffee cups at the Bean or the Cafeteria.

A second key to the problem of being entertained on a college campus is having diversity. One of the most important aspects about the act of being entertained is realizing that it happens in all different kinds of ways rather it be in the form of going sightseeing or decorating the dorm for the Christmas season. The bottom line is in order to attract more students there needs to be a variety of events that appeal to the interests of the already diverse individuals who reside on and attend the university. One way to encourage this could be to plan some inexpensive field trips to neighboring areas within California like Sacramento or Chico.On the other hand for those who lack a mode of transportation an ice cream social or poker night could a be a welcome solution.

Overall, however, the university needs to remember that in the end it is up to the student body to become involved with what happens on campus. Students can only truly feel a part of community life on campus when he or she decides to take ownership of his or her college experiences and pursues entertainment. One of the only reasons that community forms is that individuals choose “to not sit in the dorm rooms all weekend, instead …[meeting] people and [experiencing] life together in the environment around them” (Student Voice).But in order to participate in life and create a community there needs to be a space to do so in.

This is why certain spaces and environments become so important and influence people’s learning and their lives. Wes Anderson, American actor, director, and producer suggests the following about walking down the streets of Paris: “Paris is an area where, for me, just walking down a street that I have ever been down before is like going to a movie or something. Just wandering the city is entertainment.” Therefore, the students at college should have a space that is comfortable and inviting to go to to cultivate their community in which they live. On the way to do this is to have an a student center on campus where individuals can come to live and experience life together rather that be through studying or hanging out and drinking coffee. In a lot of different ways, Simpson University is talented in having a variety of different places for students to interact. However, the campus still remains to be in some ways a divided.

When it comes to planning certain events or important changes for the student body at senate there is almost always a debate about how to most effectively involve not only the students on campus but also the commuter students that attend Simpson. However, the most effective way to both integrate and cultivate a sufficient amount of entertainment on campus during the weekends would be to create a student center. A place where the world of entertainment and Academia can come together to create community. One successful example of this idea within the community is Starbucks. Motivational speaker and author Simon Sinek shares the following,“ Starbucks was founded on the experience and their environment, in their stores.” Therefore, why not create a space where students can truly experience the welcoming and commutative experience that Simpson and other similar schools have to offer. The place where individuals can live and create together in harmony.

The world of entertainment in all its forms is able to have an impact on every single individual. The various ways in which people chooses to spend their free timely the long run has power over every part of their lives. For example, someone may love watching movies so much that they decide to attend drama school with the intention of becoming an actor. On the other side of the spectrum, someone may love the outdoors so much that they go on to graduate with an outdoor leadership degree from college and it all was influenced in part by who each individual chose to entertain themselves and the physical space that helped them further their learning both inside and outside the classroom.

Individuals should desire to further their learning because it is something they personally would like to do with their time. A college education should not be something that only happens because it is required by many in order to obtain a good career. A college campus needs to be a place where entertainment can be obtained in all of it forms because without it the real college experience does not exist. It is true that the universities around the world were created with the intention of having a higher education. However, each university exists to create a community within a group of human beings. While at college young adults attempt to figure out some of the bigger questions about life and what the world is all about and they are able to create friendships that hopefully last a lifetime.

In the end, through those hard questions and the community of friends can not be cultivated and nurtured without some form of entertainment.College without community is in a lot of ways pointless which is why even smaller schools need to be as interesting both during the weekday and the weekend. otherwise, students will opt to make trips home on the weekends and this could, in the long run, reflect badly upon the school when it comes to attracting prospective students. This situation would give the illusion that there is little to no resident life on campus and possibly that there is no school spirit among students. This is not to say that traveling home is a bad thing, in many case contact with the family while at college can demonstrate “an individual’s personal growth and independence” (Gander,1). An on-campus living experience, however, that is both educational and entertaining can and will be unforgettable for many.

Gardner, Ralph. "In College, You Can Go Home Again and Again." The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 Dec. 2006. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

Maccoby, Michael. "The Three C's and Discipline for Freedom." The School Review 79.2 (1971): 227-42. JSTOR. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

Sinek, Simon. "Blinded By Their Own Product: Starbucks Is Losing Its Buzz." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 July 2010. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.

"Staying on Campus during Weekends Beneficial for Many Students, University." Student Voice. University of Wisconsin–River Falls, 21 Feb. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2015.

Weisberg, Jacob. "The World According to Wes." Slate.com. Slate Magazine, 25 May 2012. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.