Campus Life
Vibrant, Active Campus
Whether a full-time resident student or a part-time commuter student, there is always something fun to do on campus. A typical weekend at Salem will have activities for all types of students and across a wide range of interests, including events like food trucks on the plaza, trivia night in the Student Center, visits to the local Farmer’s Market, cheering on the Salem Spirits, or watching movies while floating in the pool! In addition, Salem has a wealth of traditions that students participate in throughout the year and more than 30 student organizations where students can make friends, find community, and get involved.
Learn more about the various aspects of Campus Life here
A Day in the Life
I’m Abby! I’m a first-year this year at Salem. I’m hoping to double major in Biology and in Spanish, and maybe minoring in English and Professional Writing. Follow me on a typical day at Salem!
8:30 AM
Gotta make sure that I’m out of Clewell and grabbing a bite at the Cafe before my first class. While I wait for my delicious latte made with ByGood coffee beans at the Cafe, I pull out my phone and open Presence just to see what might be going on later, there’s already a long list of upcoming events to scroll through! Oooo, the Lucy Rose Center has a lunch event tomorrow with The Global Passport Series. I could definitely go for a fresh made pasta lunch and a lesson in Italian. Let me add that to my calendar.
9:20 AM
I grab my protein bar and swing my bag over my shoulder, if I hurry I can stop by the Koi Pond before my Medical Spanish Translation class. Last time I saw a GIANT koi fish and I want to make sure a hawk hasn’t scooped it up yet. The Salem wildlife is very active.
12:15 PM
After class and a quick pit stop by my advisor’s office for a schedule check-in, I’m off to the refectory for lunch. I open the Harvest Table site on my phone to see what’s for lunch. Do I want to try out the Mapo Tofu from the vegan station or the stir-fry noodle bowl? Maybe I’ll have a made-to-order flatbread. I’ll have to wait and see. I give a quick hello to Mr. Lamar at the front of the dining hall and scan my ID for my meal. I find a table full of my favorite Salem people and drop off my belongings before taking a turn around the food hall. Oh the stir-fry smells so good I have to have that today. I quickly make my way through the line and join my friends at the table for lunch.
1:00 PM
Biometry Lab is my favorite part of the day, it’s where we get to manipulate things like Public Health data sets to learn about what the data can tell us about our population. I don’t mean to get super nerdy on you but it’s classes like this that make me look forward to a career in health. I want to be able to see how to best serve the communities in my town that have very little access to things like general practitioners and women’s health providers.
7:00 PM
It’s time to grab a fast bite again at the cafe, a salad this time, and run back to my Residence Hall to get ready for Fall Lawn. This will be the first big, big campus event for the year with a DJ. This year we’re having a disco so my friends and I have decided to roll up all in silver with a bunch of glitter to really sparkle.
10:00 PM
I grab all of my very sparkly friends and we take off down the stairs to Bryant Hall Patio. We can hear the music bumping as we get closer and closer. We open our phones up to our Presence ID and go through check-in with the Campus Activities Board volunteers, it’s finally time to dance the night away.