5 Ways To Take Over Campus
Photo taken by Melody Wilson
By NATHAN WITT/ Multimedia Editor
New York hip-hop artist Nas said, “The world is yours.” He might be more right than you realize.
Class registration for the Spring 2023 semester just opened up which means you might be starting to fill up the next few months on your calendar. If you’re looking to get more plugged into the student body or want to make the most of your college experience, here are 5 ways you, a UT Tyler student, can take over campus.
- Create a club
Once upon a time, there was a Hot Tub Club on campus. Their entire existence was centered around reserving the hot tub for free. If you wanted to bring it back or make your own unique club, the process is straightforward. There is no deadline to register for a club. All you need is a description of your club, 5 student members, and an advisor. Joshua Neaves, Director of Student Engagement, said “over 100 clubs” are on the UT Tyler campus, and he wants more. There is no charge associated with registering, and campus clubs are able to reserve almost any facility on campus for free or at highly discounted prices. They are also able to distribute promotional material across campus. If you’re interested, you can reach Neaves at .
- Harvey Deck
Literally, take over part of campus. UT Tyler is a state school, which means it is required to offer public space for anyone to use. That place is Harvey Deck. As long as you stay within the city of Tyler’s noise limits, don’t badger people, and nothing else is already booked you can take over Harvey Deck without reserving it. If you have a band, it could be a stage with ten thousand passive audience members. If you think Shrek 3 is the best movie in the world, get on a soap box and let the world know.
- Claim your free tickets
As a UT Tyler student, your tuition unlocks serval tickets throughout the year. In the Fall semester alone the Cowan Center hosted the people’s shark Daymond John, the rock band Chicago, and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical. Students are entitled to one free ticket for most events. This includes all student events such as recitals, plays and concerts. To claim your ticket, you can go directly to the box office or call 903.566.7424.
- Club Sports
Are you too competitive for intramural but not competitive enough to be a college athlete? UT Tyler offers a middle ground with opportunities ranging from powerlifting to bass fishing. Club sports organizations compete against other colleges and many fight for a championship medal. One of the newer club sports added on campus is eSports. Entities across campus have already invested over $24k in the program since 2020. If eSports caught your attention, consider emailing the program’s director Ashley Daniel at .
- Patriot Engage
Nothing beats the price of FREE. UT Tyler hosts a website that catalogs every event happening across campus. Patriot Engage allows you to search through campus departments and student organizations to narrow down your search. You can sort based on themes, categories like greek life or career success, and most importantly “perks.” Through the site, you can pinpoint every event for the semester that will give out free food, shirts, bags, and anything else. Also, if nothing in this article stands out to you, Patriot Engage is a great resource to find a community.
(6. The Talon)
If you’ve made it this far, it’s possible you care about the written form. As a bonus, we, the patriot talon, are breaking the fourth wall to invite you aboard. We are responsible for the voice of the student body. We are an independent, student-run organization dedicated to informing, educating, and entertaining UT Tyler students and faculty. This year we are taking an aggressive approach to meet the student body where they’re at, modernize our content and presentation, and grow our capacity to produce quality content. If you’re interested in speaking for the student body email our Editor-in-Cheif, Noah Tew at .
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