The number of students enrolled at ETSU has reached a record high and the amount of students occupying campus housing is near full capacity. The situation raises the question: are officials doing enough to provide students with activities to attend during the weekend?
Freshman Aaron Cavin, said, “Everybody rushes to their houses. I’m pretty sure if there were activities more people would stay. We definitely wish more people were here on the weekends.”
Jon Walker, director of campus recreation, said of the concern for the lack of activities for students who remain on campus during the weekend, “I honestly feel we do a disservice to students who choose to stay on campus for the weekend. I really feel we encourage students to go home.”
“Is it an injustice to what the full college experience should really be? We need to do a whole lot more things on the weekend,” Walker said.
“The funds are definitely available to provide recreation for students on weekends. It is just hard to compete with the students who leave … In the spring our numbers increase and during the fall they just aren’t so great. It is really a phenomenon I see here compared to other campuses I have worked with in the past. You just didn’t see students leaving the way they do here,” Walker said.
Walker often allows groups of people to request late night access to the CPA which provides recreation and social activities.
Raj Harricharan-Singh, a junior who spends most of his weekends on campus, said, “I kind of like the weekends. I just wish a lot more people would stay. I think there would be a lot more to do if people would just stay on campus.”
Many students gave their opinion concerning weekends at ETSU. It seemed to be the general consensus that there simply is not enough going on around campus for students to attend. Matt Cross said, “I wish there were just random fun things to do, like dodgeball.”
Many have high hopes ETSU will work harder to encourage students to stay around on weekends. It is important also to properly market events so students know when and where activities take place.
Interested persons can contact Adam Knoblock, graduate assistant, student planning committee, at 439-7983 to make suggestions.

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