Despite the Rumors, Graceland is chalked full of stuff to do

It’s funny to think that at some point in my world, one of my primary worries about Graceland was finding stuff to do. Let’s be honest; we’ve all thought about that at one point when first coming to Graceland. Lamoni isn’t exactly the metropolitan hub of excitement that even Des Moines only kind of is, and the campus is not big enough to create its own city culture the way, for example, Lawrence, Kansas, exists for Kansas University. In my opinion, as an incoming freshman, being bored and not having anything to do is a perfectly reasonable concern.

Now, let me tell you, as a student who is now going into his fourth year, I can with every certainty tell you that it is not a real concern. There is always something to do on campus. ALWAYS. In fact, the problem is going to be the exact opposite. You will, in all likelihood, be forced to turn away opportunities to do things. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. There is this amazing social effect that happens at Graceland that I believe is fostered directly out of that same fear. Everyone around Graceland, and Graceland as an institution, understands the concern and actively works to fight against that so-called boredom. The events are home grown by the student body or the student government, your “House” has its own events, intermurals are a constant throughout the year. A culture has been created by the students to create fun for themselves.

Now the responsibility is on you. It’s all there to participate in. If you find yourself bored or with nothing to do, there will always be a choice to engage. All of the opportunity for engagement is there, in excess, the school and its student government make sure of that. Don’t let yourself be bored and mopey, take action! It’s way more fun!

Give this small town with “nothing to do” a chance, and take part in everything the “Graceland Experience” has to offer. You might even just find yourself having fun.

Carter Chapley ’17