As a senior graduating in the spring, I’ve made a lot of mistakes and I’ve made some very crucial discoveries around campus that I wish I had known earlier. I mean, who doesn’t want to hang out in a massage chair on a stressful day? Who doesn’t want to know where you can get a tutor to finally understand that pesky calculus concept? So to learn from my mistakes and my ignorance, here are the ten places you need to know about:
1. The Library (or Club Lib, to people in the know)
While you may hear about the library constantly, and may have even visited it while cramming for a test, here’s what you probably don’t know about the library. For those that need them, there are condoms in the bathroom in this building, because safe sex is important. There is also the option to rent laptops, iPads, and more from the library. Full disclosure: this article is being written on one of those rental laptops. It’s super easy to do and you can get some work done on the laptops and return them when you’re done with classes, as long as it’s within the rental time frame that they will tell you when you rent a laptop or other electronic device.
Club Lib also has study corrals for midterm and final study sessions along with whiteboards and other resources to conduct extracurricular meetings or group project meetings with. They also have lovely phone charger stations, because our cellphones and our social media are everything in this technological age. Other resources include a quiet floor to study that’s so quiet you can hear a pen click from the other side of the room (aka the fourth floor); beautiful views the further you go up; funny bathroom stall news articles; and the Interlibrary Loan Office to get all those articles and books you need that aren’t available at the library or online.
2. The Skylab
So yes, this writer knows that the Skylab is inside the library, but it’s so great that it needs its own section. Not only are there an abundance of computers, there’s a 3D printer up there and a scanner where you can scan pages of your textbooks that are on reserve in the library. There’s also a WEPA up there, and they have all the Adobe products on the computers up there so you can create graphics for clubs and class projects. Did I mention that they also have two monitors on some of the computers, so you can multitask and do not only eLearning assignments, but watch cat videos too? Those monitors might be a double-edged sword, but they make you feel like an amazing supervillain plotting to take over the world instead of a college student that needs to get his or her life together.
And if you do have your life together, then they can also be a great way for you to get twice the homework and classwork done so you have more time to slay.
3. The Commons
The Commons is a building where you can eat, drink and be merry. And, who doesn’t want food and happiness?
In the Commons, there are not only places to eat like the Nautilus Market for those on meal plans, but also three other eateries in the Commons: Argo Galley, Chick-n-Grill and Quiznos. You can even get sushi in the Argo Galley. That’s also where clubs table, so you can learn about new clubs to join and you can get free stuff sometimes too while supporting your fellow Argos. CAB also has a ton of amazing events that are held in the Commons that you should check out like their movie night last week (Finding Dory!) to CAB After Dark in the spring semester and CAB Fright Night in October! The Commons are also where a lot of events are posted and where people come to between classes, so it’s a good place to people watch and learn about new events happening around campus. There’s also video game consoles, and pool tables there too if that’s your ray of sunshine.
4. The Student Wellness Center
Remember those massage chairs that I mentioned earlier in this article? Well, here they are! They’re free to students. All you have to do is give your Nautilus card to somebody at the desk, and heaven in a chair is all yours. The Student Wellness center is right by the CFPA and the tennis courts, so it’s easy to locate and it also has some other important resources there as well. Not only can you get doctor’s appointments there, but you can also go to counseling services too if you ever need their help. It’s important to take care of your mental and physical health, so please, Argos, visit the Student Wellness building!
5. TAG
The Art Gallery (TAG) is a great place to unwind and support artistic Argos. There is a rotating basis of art exhibits that appear in the gallery and each is unique in its own way. There’s a TAG blog you can find the link to on TAG’s UWF page that shows you the schedule for each exhibit. The art there is contemporary and stimulating, and is a great escape from class, so go check it out! It’s in the CFPA through the main entrance just walk straight and you’ll see a set of doors on the left with TAG on them.
6. Japan House
Japan House is in building 71, and it is a great place to learn more about Japanese culture. They hold tea ceremonies that students can watch, and other events on a scheduled basis like meditation sessions and workshops about Bonsai trees. It’s a gateway to a different culture, and an excellent way to experience things people don’t normally do on a regular basis.
7. Argonaut Village Starbucks
So, yes there is a Starbucks in the library, but that’s not a real Starbucks and lacks variety in menu items. The lines are usually longer too, and they don’t accept Starbucks gift cards or membership cards. They also, in this author’s opinion, don’t taste as good compared to the real Starbucks at Argonaut Village. All you have to do is drive past Village East, past the entrance to the school, and there it is in the complex on the right. Five or six minutes max and real Starbucks here we come!
It’s a great place to go in the mornings too. They actually have breakfast food to go with your coffee (and cake pops).
8. The Writing Lab
The Writing Lab is a great place to help you meet your professors’ grammar expectations. The Writing Lab has experts in grammar, organization, and other writing aspects that students commonly struggle with. They also require you to not turn it in the day before it’s due, so that’s a motivation to get your papers done and beat procrastination. Procrastination leads to ten page papers being completed and started the night before they are due, and nobody has time for that stress to finish something that should have been done earlier.
9. ACE Building
The Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) is in building 52, and it’s an outstanding place to get writing help, and tutoring in different subjects like Calculus and Biology. You can look at the list of Fall 2016 courses that they can offer help in on their UWF website. It’s great for undergraduate general studies classes as well. You can schedule a tutoring appointment through GradesFirst in your MyUWF. Don’t wait until it’s too late. If you’re lost in your class, then please head to ACE. “C’s get degrees” is the worst slogan, and you shouldn’t live by it.
10. Career Services
Need help with resumes, interviews, or anything else that might be involved in getting a job? Career services is where you belong. It’s a plentiful source of wisdom for all things job-related. Through JasonQuest you can find jobs too. Who doesn’t love money and things that help us get jobs so we can make money?
JasonQuest can be found through MyUWF, and Career Services is in building 19 by the Commons.
There you go Argos! Don’t be like me. Don’t make a mistake and let the years go by without checking out these hotspots and hidden gems on campus.