Column by Tyler Montell

It feels great to be a Wildcat, doesn’t it? Think about it, when is the last time a stadium full of fans did the Seminole War Chant… wearing blue? And hey, wasn’t it great to see the men’s basketball team get a big win Saturday against Vanderbilt? I don’t think Rupp Arena has ever been louder, or Cats fans happier.

But there is some bad news: If you’re reading this, chances are that today you will have either gone to class, or have to go eventually, if you aren’t already sitting in a desk somewhere on campus right now. Don’t fret though, for there are only about 52 more days until spring break.

This being said, there is still plenty of time to make the most out of this spring semester, because after all, this is your last chance to be a freshman/

sophomore/junior/senior. It’s time that you get out of that room of yours and put down the Xbox controller.

It’s high time you get out there and do something for yourself; use this time to make some life improvements. Make some new friends, learn something outside of the classroom and start looking fabulous. No, that doesn’t mean you can stop going to class, but like I said, you have 52 days to get your life together before spring break, why not start today?

Beat the rush and join a student organization early. I know you have heard it a thousand times in a thousand different ways, but there’s a lot more than free T-shirts and pizza to getting involved with a student organization.

There are hundreds of different organizations here at UK that will hook you up with some people that love the same stuff you do. It’s like an eHarmony.com for hobbies and interests. Go to the Student Affairs Web site (www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/) to see a full list of clubs; better yet, go talk to Student Organizations Assistant Director Todd Cox, Office Manager Denise Stephens or any of the other cool people at the Center for Student Involvement in the Student Center. Pick out a cool new club and go to the meeting. I won’t take no for an answer, so don’t argue.

Once you join an organization, don’t be “that guy” that sits in the back for two months and doesn’t talk to anyone. Go right in, introduce yourself, get on Wikipedia and get some new jokes. Bring a funding request packet from the Student Government office and explain to them you can help the group get some funding for T-shirts or an event they want to put on this semester. Tell them you are going to call up your friend Tyler Montell at SG and we can get it done. Tell them they can get 100 free copies on colored paper from the Center for Student Involvement, or that they can even reserve rooms. Pretty soon, you’ll be honored as the new member of the year. My, that new confidence sure does look good on you.

So maybe you have put on the “freshman 15,” you’re still my friend all the same. But let’s be honest, you do have only 52 days to get it together before your visit to paradise; you will want to look your best to impress the rest.

It’s okay, just head down to the Johnson Center and ask about the Time to Change Weight Loss Program. According to the Johnson Center Web site (www.uky.edu/

StudentAffairs/CampusRec/

JohnsonCenter), the program is “designed to help you lose weight, reduce body fat, increase your confidence in achieving your fitness goals and give you the confidence to continue your fitness program on your own, and finally improve your heath and overall quality of life.”

This program is open and free to all UK students with a body mass index of 30 or more. The program will set you up with a personal trainer and will help you with everything you need to get in fighting weight just in time for ____ (insert awesome spring break plans here).

Tyler Montell is the Student Government Senate president. E-mail [email protected].