Early morning Marquette basketball games, late nights out at Murphy’s and long days spent in Raynor Library are all pastimes that engulf Marquette students, setting them into a routine day in and day out. But sometimes it’s good to break up your routine and spice up your life with some of Marquette’s most underrated assets.
One Marquette hidden gem is the Lunda Room on the first floor of the Alumni Memorial Union. The buffet-style restaurant serves a different set of meals every day. It has an assortment of burgers, pastas, salads and soups, but according to sophomore Melanie Biegler, an employee at the Lunda Room, “nothing beats their mac ‘n cheese.” It’s a classy restaurant that can be slightly expensive, but it does accept dinning dollars and Marquette cash.
If high class dining isn’t for you, you’re still in luck. More under-appreciated perks around Marquette include Sobelman’s weekly deals that accommodate the budget of a broke college student. They include $1 margaritas every Monday from 4 to 8 p.m., 10-cent tacos every Tuesday, 25-cent wings every Wednesday for all Marquette students and staff, and of course, $5 pitchers of Miller Lite and Coors Light seven days a week.
All that food can creep up on you, though, which brings us to the underrated programs at the Helfaer Recreation Center. From spin classes to scuba lessons, the recreation center has multiple group fitness programs to help students stay in shape, including one called Body Werk that meets every Monday and Wednesday at 6 p.m. for full body workouts.
For the scholarly individual, it can be difficult to get into a private study room with a group of people or even find an empty table at Raynor Library. Two lesser known places to study are the School of Dentistry building and the Brooks Lounge. The newly renovated Dentistry building on 18th and Wisconsin has comfortable chairs and tables open for students who are looking to get work done. The Brooks Lounge, located in the basement of the AMU, not only has pool tables and popcorn, but it also has comfortable booths that can house study groups of up to six people.
Marquette’s Student Government hosts multiple events every year in an attempt to entertain the student body. This year they started the new MUSG Speaker Series where they have collected seven impressive people to come speak at Marquette. From Breaking Bad star RJ Mitte to Pulitzer Prize winner Jose Vargas, Marquette Student Government is hooking it up! Two speakers to look forward to are Olympic gold-medalist Shawn Johnson who’s coming Jan. 30 and boxing legend Dewey Bozella who will be speaking on Feb. 18. All the speaker events are free.
If you’re looking for a different activity to do with friends, head over to the Annex on 16th and Wells streets for a bowling night. One of the under-appreciated aspects of not only Marquette, but of the Annex, is their 12-lane bowling alley. Get a group of friends and spend a night in quirky shoes with annex wings and a few pitchers of beer. A preferable night would be Wednesdays when they celebrate Domestic Beer Night. Each beer is 32 ounces.
One of the biggest underrated events that occurs on campus is St. Practice Day at Caffrey’s Pub on 16th Street. Two weeks before the real St. Patrick’s Day, Caffery’s hosts St. Practice Day where they hand out T-shirts, serve green beer and celebrate as if it were the real thing. “It’s an event that is getting more and more popular,” said Caffery’s bartender Eric Pitze. “It’s a good to practice by celebrating as if it were the real holiday.”
What do you think is an underrated asset at Marquette? Tweet us your response @MUJournal.
