By Olivia Seecof

Writer

As a campus tour guide, I consistently tell people about all of the impressive things that University organizations bring to campus for the pure benefit of the students. Of course, the big-name concerts always cause jaw-dropping reactions, especially when I tell the story of how I was three rows from Ke$ha and screaming the whole time.

All of the ACE events are great too, especially bingo, which all of my friends will tell you is one of my absolute favorite events on campus.

This semester I have discovered my newfound appreciation for all of the wonderful lecturers that different University organizations bring to address the student body. The first lecture I attended was the Paul Rusesabagina (Hotel Rwanda) lecture, sponsored by the Student Lectureship Committee.

His lessons were so full of emotion and power that I felt that his fame was definitely second to his story. I came out of the lecture with a different outlook on why people help one another.

The second lecture I attended was given by the cast of the MTV show, “The Buried Life.” Truthfully, I only went to this lecture because I wanted to brag to all of my friends that I saw the cute boys of the show, but I again came out of the lecture inspired and with new perspectives.

I remember lying in bed that night thinking about the one thing I want to do before I die. While I am not one for making bucket lists, I came up with a goal and a plan to make it happen. I would have never even thought about this life-changing goal had it not been for the inspiring lecture offered right on campus.

Thirdly, I attended the Brian Greene lecture on breakthrough thinking and string theory. Because I am not currently enrolled in physics, this lecture was full of material that was way over my head.

Still, I enjoyed this lecture more than I anticipated and was genuinely interested throughout Greene’s talk. Greene is an incredibly respected individual in his field, and it was an awesome opportunity to have him lecture to our student body.

I also regularly attend the biology department’s seminars. While these lectures are shorter, only lasting one hour, they are full of material that I find incredibly interesting and I look forward to them every month. Whether the lecturer is a visiting professor or one of the University’s own, the lectures are always of top quality and about very relevant topics in the biology world.

While I have only taken advantage of a few of the lectures offered on campus, I intend to be more aware of the opportunities and take full advantage of them. I encourage you all to do the same. These lecturers come to the University to add to the quality of our education and enlighten us with topics that we might only know a little about.

I mean truthfully, who doesn’t want to know more about how many Africans were saved from genocide, or how a bunch of friends ride around trying to knock things off their bucket list or how the universe came to be in existence? I know I do, and that is why I greatly appreciate all of the opportunities the lecturers on campus present.