It seems that everyone that lives in the dorms is part of Hall government, which everyone likes to put on their resume. I'm not really involved in any groups, I'm really just involved with UND Track & Field. I also play intramural hockey. I can't get away from hockey, it's been my driving force in my life, and my favorite sport of all time. I guess playing for our state team (Team Wisconsin) kinda sums that up.
When you're in the dorms if someone is at class they usually lock their doors considering I had a pizza oven stole from me my Freshman year here, they were probably upset when they found out it didn't work. But when people are in the dorms or just about the dorms they leave their doors open. It's a very social community in the dorms, and everyone seems to be friends with everyone, or at least try to get people involved in activities with one another.
Guest speakers are cool, but the more popular ones are the comedians that we get from time to time throughout the year. We're trying to get Dane Cook, but we've gotten Nick Swardson just recently. It was pretty cool to see someone big named come all the way to Grand Forks, ND to give us some of their time.
I met my closest friends through the dorms, and through my intramural hockey team. Sure I've met a lot of really good friends through Track and through my classes, but the ones that I've become closer with were those that I've lived with for a period of time. I mean you usually pick your roommates to live with you off campus for a reason right?
2am is early for me. I'm usually up until 3-4 but on a Tuesday, I'm usually online playing Call of Duty 4 with some of my friends that I used to live in the dorms with, and who now live off campus. It's our way of hanging out without spending money or taking the time on driving our car and wasting gas.
There is Spring Fest, which athletes are usually not allowed to go to because of the excessive amount of drinking that goes on there, and the cops that patrol the area. If you're caught and given a minor your name goes in the paper the following day. Yes, a list of over 300 students are in the paper every year, and this really gives UND and bad perception, especially if you're part of an athletic organization. There are others, but nothing quite as big as Spring Fest.
Well statistics show that UND is the in the top 5 for binge drinking schools throughout the nation. There are parties usually every weekend, and some kids (usually truants) brag that they've been drinking for 7 days straight. It's not a good image for the university, BUT this is where all the cliques of the university bond together and this helps with our school pride. We can all go to the hockey game and not care who we sit next to and scream our lungs out. The Parties that happen throughout the year involve ALL different people from different cliques and this helps everyone bond, as I've probably repeated. It works well, and everyone is friends up here.
Well it depends on the image your going for when it comes to Frats / Sororities. I'm not a part of the any of the Frats because of what most of them stand for, and the $$ that's involved with living in the house and such. But there is 1 Frat that I'd probably join if I had to join, and that's just to put it on my resume. They're an academic Frat and require a 3.4 or better to be a part of it. Which looks really good on your resume. But some of the Frats on the campus (not to name any in particular) have a bad rap. 1 has the nick-name "Date-rape house" you can probably imagine what happens there. Personally I won't be affiliated with them.
Last weekend.. On Friday I called it an early night, I hadn't slept much throughout the week due to numerous test I had to take. But on Saturday night we had our conference get together. Every Athletic team has something like this, or an equivalent. Just a good time to bond with your teammates. Usually there is nobody else there that's not a part of that athletic team due to the need to have a good time and let loose with people you know. It's harder to do that when there are strangers there.
On Saturday and Friday nights there is Night Life at UND. There isn't much you can do in this town, to be honest, during the cold days and the winter. BUT Night Life is a student led organization that encourages getting together with some of your friends, heading to the wellness center and having a good time. They have cooking that you can do, Sporting tournaments that you can play in, and they also even have video game tournaments. It's a pretty good time for all. There are many prizes you can win at Night Life as well. It's a fairly new organization that just sprouted up last year, but as had a big effect on the University.
Off campus I just really hangout with my friends that I've met in class, or used to live with in the dorms. All of the athletic get togethers are held off campus as well. But other than that, you can go to the Carmike 10 and watch a movie or head over the river to East Grand Forks for the Blue Moose or the Riverside Cinema.