I’ve spent most of my week at the Conference on World Affairs, a yearly event here at the University of Colorado, held in the spring on our beautiful Boulder campus.

The Conference on World Affairs, or CWA, is largely self-explanatory. It’s a big conference in which hundreds of panels are held regarding world affairs, generally geared towards current trends, namely political and sociological issues. There’s a smattering of technology talks, increasing every year, and a few talks that look back on history in consideration of current trends. There is also something called Interruptus, in which a film is shown in its entirety in the first two-hour session, and is shown over the rest of the week in two-hour sessions except with constant interruptions to discuss the film in-depth. Interruptus was Roger Ebert’s big event, but Mr. Ebert has been ill for the past few years and we miss his presence quite a lot.

CWA is one of my favorite things about attending this school. It’s one of the reasons I couldn’t bear attending another school. I’m sure other schools have equally exciting events, but probably schools I didn’t have interest in attending or to which I paid no attention during my search. It’s certainly one of the most unique things about this university, and it definitely helps maintain the independent-minded climate of this campus as well as the forward-thinking discourse many places seem to lack.

With that, the CWA is still one of the worst-kept yet most popular secrets on this campus. How can that be? It’s because of the fact that so many students have no idea it even exists. In my daily interaction with other students, namely through courses but also through my job, I ask students about the CWA and many of them need an explanation. It’s a pity, because this is primarily for the students. Sure, many retirees clog up the hallways of the University Memorial Center and make is a hassle for a lot of busy students to get on with the week, but without that support, the CWA would be long gone. Not enough students attend the CWA that, if it were solely for students, there would be nothing to celebrate. Therefore the CWA is indeed as much a community event, but only because the event would suffer without its support.

It’s halfway through the CWA week, and I still have plenty to say. I’ve attended many panels so far and have kept up with them on my twitter account, I hope that I see more peers at these talks on the last day — it’ a shame not to take advantage of what a great, free event the university provides us every single year.

Flags in April: the decor for the CWA