I was sure that attending college at the University was going to be a great experience, and that I was going to have plenty of fun while getting my education.

However, during my first two semesters here at the Capstone, I have become increasingly aware of the lack of on-campus activities available to those of us students who have no interest and no funds to party all weekend.

Most of the on-campus eateries (Fresh Food Company, Tuscaloosa Café, Maea, etc.) close early on Friday and do not open up again until Monday. Also, activity centers such as the Recreation Center pool close early on the weekends. All of these places are open decent hours on weekdays.

This makes absolutely no sense to me. I should not have to go off campus to find entertainment because I, unlike a large portion of the student body, do not choose to spend my weekends drunk.

Be that as it may, I find little relief in the weekdays here at UA. When I finally make it to Fresh Foods (to spend the insane amount of meal plans that I was forced to get as a freshman so that my parents do not feel quite as bad about all of the money out of which Alabama is cheating them) for lunch after my morning classes, I am met by ridiculous lines and a few servers with horrible attitudes.

From there, I travel back to my dorm, where I trudge down the nasty second floor hall, which garners no attention from the cleaning staff busy tidying the first floor so that they can do what Alabama does best: keep up appearances.

The University may indeed be “changing lives” as they like to advertise, but in my case it is not in a positive manner.

Erica Mathis is a freshman majoring in English.