There are plenty of places near The University of Memphis thatcan leave a student sideways at the end of a night, but there are afew closer to campus that offer a more vertical experience.
Campus ministries, many of which are located just west of TheUniversity on Patterson and Midland, offer activities andfacilities as an alternative to the nightlife offered on theHighland strip.
The River's Edge, a combination Methodist and Presbyterianministry, started the semester Tuesday night with the Aloha Luau,which included dinner, an open house and dancing.
The Christian Student Center offers Aromas, a regular Wednesdaynight activity, tonight. It promises a coffee shop atmospherefollowed by a devotional service.
"A lot of times we have a band after the devotional," said JohnGrizzle, a recent graduate of The U of M and one of five campusministers at the site.
Many of the campus ministries will have programs during theafternoons going forward until the end of the semester. Butstudents don't have to be of a certain religion or denomination totake part in the activities, officials said.
"We're not in the business of luring people away from theirdenominations," said Brenda Kindelan, campus minister at theUniversity Catholic Center on Mynders. "We're here to listen."
Bonnie Burton, administrator of the Westminster PresbyterianHouse, reinforced this idea of helping students.
"Students can be pretty lost," Burton said. "All we can do iscounsel them and help them find their way."
Most of the houses have residents that live on-site and serve ascounselors or friends.
And in addition to providing entertainment, a couple of thecampus ministries sell parking spaces on their lots for studentswho have grown tired of circling the parking lots looking for anopen space.
The scheduled activities are not the only time students canvisit the centers. Students can stop by anytime to play pool,foosball, movies and even video games.
"If you don't like the UC, you don't like the library or yourroommate is driving you nuts, you can come by hang out or study,"said TroyAnn Poulopolous, director of the River's Edge.
In addition to the houses noted above, there are also the BarthEpiscopal House and the Baptist Student Union, both located onPatterson.
For Jewish and Muslim students there are the Jewish StudentUnion at 3528 Midland and the Muslim Student Association at 3529Mynders.
