When the rumors in the hallways and on Facebook get to be too ridiculous, pick up a copy of your campus newspaper. Beyond the profile of the editor’s best friend and the review of last month’s Top 40 songs, there’s something valuable there, because – believe it or not – there’s something interesting happening on your campus right now.

1. Interesting Speakers: Academic departments and student groups host guest speakers all the time. Whether you’ve been reading post-structuralist philosopher Judith Butler in class or listening to sports commentator Frank DeFord on the radio, there’s a good chance someone you’ve heard of is coming to speak at your campus. Even if the talk is on a subject you know next-to-nothing about, go ahead and go! One of the most interesting talks I attended this year was on politics in North Korea. You can learn a lot and maybe find a new passion.

2. Find a Job: You don’t need me to tell you that the job market is awful. Read about some alum’s brand-new startup, send them your resume, and score a job or an internship.

3. Sports Updates: Whether the big news is the departure of a basketball star or a new mascot, you probably want to know.

4. Restaurant Reviews: Restaurant reviews? In the age of Yelp and UrbanSpoon? Yes! The campus newspaper’s restaurant reviews are geared for people like you – for whom a $20 entree counts as “$$$” instead of just “$” and whose ideal drink is a $1 draft beer, not a $14 strawberry appletini. And, if you’re lucky, the newspaper might hint at solutions to the unique problems faced by students younger than 21 years old…

5. Controversy: Where else but your campus newspaper can you look erudite while reading about gossip? Find out what dubious activities are occurring with your tuition and student fees. Maybe a professor is resigning for faking his research or for sleeping with a student. Your student government is almost certainly engaged in some sort of shenanigans.

6. Service Opportunities: Many colleges have service groups that tutor or mentor local children, visit senior citizens or build houses with Habitat for Humanity. Along with making great service opportunities, these make great newspaper stories. If one of these speaks to you, find a way to get involved. They provide a great way to make connections off-campus and are rewarding in and of themselves.

7. Local Music: While the local bands may not be quite the caliber of the Arcade Fire or Far*East Movement, their concerts make for a fun, cheap date and their lo-fi sound is hip right now… And you, who knows, you might stumble across the next band to make it big.

But maybe you don’t believe me that any of these interesting opportunities are available on your campus. Pick up your newspaper anyway – you might like it.

You might also be interested in:

1. On campus protests: Love and self-restraint in the face of hate
2. Are you hip to Square? It could change the face of campus life.
3. Especially on campus, know the warning signs of declining mental health
4. To get your resume into that “yes” pile, get involved on campus right away