Beyond the Classroom Challenge
How does the Beyond the Classroom Challenge work?
- Sign up to receive a weekly list of the best fun, free events on campus and in the community.
- Complete the Beyond the Classroom Challenge in one of two ways:
- Fully participate and reflect on 10 events
- Have completed a designated experience the prior semester, then fully participate and reflect on five events.
- Complete a post-challenge reflection survey and turn in a photo.
Weekly Events List - Listed Below
The Beyond the Classroom Challenge is a way for students to jump into a broad variety of FREE campus and community events, learning more about UTC, Chattanooga, and themselves—all based on their own schedules and interests. Each event will help students get to know UTC and Chattanooga and learn where to get more involved.
By completing the challenge, students can receive the Beyond the Classroom Challenge Award, which includes a pictorial award signed by UTC's Chancellor, Steve Angle, a celebratory dinner with your fellow award winners, priority registration during the registration period of the following semester and all points accumulate toward being recognized as a ThinkAchieve Graduate.
Beyond the Classroom Challenge
Weekly Events for 10/27-10/03
In-Person/Online Events
Monday, October 27
Learn and Play Disc Golf
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Dallas Island Disc Golf, 305 Causeway Rd, Hixson
Disc golf is one of the easiest activities to get you into the outdoors! It's a walk in the woods while playing a very fun and social game. Start with the Learn and Play Disc Golf class, where Outdoor Chattanooga’s instructors provide an instructional class to show you the rules, equipment, and essential techniques to get you started! We aim to provide the beginner the confidence and resources to connect further with the area’s disc golf community. This introductory class provides instruction and equipment and meets at various locations. Warning, may be habit forming. Register here.
Tuesday, October 28
No events for today!
Wednesday, October 29
2025 Entrepreneurship Breakfast with Carter Fowler
7:30 am – 9:30 am
Wolfard Family Athletic Center, 720 E 4th St
Carter Fowler, co-founder and CEO of Totem, will share his entrepreneurial journey, including how he leveraged viral marketing tactics to get his product off the ground. Food will be provided at this free event. RSVP and find the registration link here.
Why is it Fun to be Scared?
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Lupton 235
Join the Philosophy & Religious Studies department to discuss the paradox of horror. Free pizza and refreshments provided! Sponsored by the UC Foundation Leroy A. Martin Professorship. Learn more here.
Global Spotlight: Burundi
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Lupton Lobby
Come learn about Burundi during Global Spotlight! Global Spotlight is a platform through which UTC international students can share their culture and traditions with the UTC community. This program is very casual and may include presentations, dance performances, music, and Q&A. Global Spotlight allows for cultural exchange and learning between attendees and is open to the whole UTC community. RSVP here.
Something English this Way Comes
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Guerry Hall Reading Room
Please join us for a spooky good time! There will be costume, trivia, and writing contests (with prizes), and live music. Come for the candy, stay for the contests! This is always of the best of the events of the year -- you don't want to miss it!!! All students are welcome. RSVP here. Learn more here.
Thursday, October 30
Let's Make Tamales!
3:30 pm – 6:30 pm (3 Shifts Available)
UTC Metro Building, 654 Houston St. Room 305 (Food Science Lab)
Are you curious about the Día de Muertos holiday? Ever wanted to learn to make tamales? Join us as we cook and prepare this iconic Day of the Dead food. Everyone is invited, but advance registration is required. Make friends, build community, and learn about the "Day of the Dead" holiday, Latin American culture, and how to prepare this iconic celebration food! There are 3 shifts available. Shift 1: 3:30-4:30 PM Shift 2: 4:30-5:30 PM Shift 3: 5:30-6:30 PM Make sure to register before the event! RSVP for Shift 1 here. RSVP Shift 2 here. RSVP Shift 3 here.
Riverwalk Bike Ride
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
UTC Outdoors
To sign up for UTC Outdoor Micro Adventures, please visit the Aquatics & Recreation Center. Registration takes place in the Outdoors Center Office, located on the first floor of the Aquatics and Recreation Center (ARC). All Micro Adventures are free for UTC students, and no prior experience is needed. Learn more here.
Latin American Dialogues Speakers Series: Dr. Ofstehage
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Chickamauga Room, University Center
Join us to learn about how and why US farmers have migrated to Brazil to build up soybean mega farms, and how this phenomenon speaks to the possible future of agriculture in Brazil and elsewhere. Dr. Andrew Ofstehage is a program coordinator for CALS International Programs at North Carolina State University. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina in 2018. His book, Welcome to Soylandia (Cornell University Press, 2025) explores connections in soy production from the US to Brazil. RSVP here.
Happy Halloween Concert (ft. the Symphonic Band & Concert Choir)
7:00 pm
Chatt State, HUM Building
Join Chattanooga State’s Symphonic Band and Concert Choir for their fourth annual Happy Halloween Concert. Wear your costumes and be ready to enjoy some spooky sights, sounds, and photo booth. The concert is free and open to the public, but please bring a canned good or other non-perishable item to help support the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. Learn more here.
Friday, October 31
Dia de Muertos Celebration
11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Lupton Hall Room 239
Gather with us to honor and remember our friends and family who have passed. Bring photos and remembrances to add to the ofrenda. This come-and-go event will take place in 239 Lupton Hall (the MCLL Language Lab), from 11:00 AM until 2:00 PM. Drop in as your schedule allows and enjoy many activities! Learn more and RSVP here.
Saturday, November 1
Mountain Biking
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
UTC Outdoors
Throw on a helmet, bring your water, and join us on a mountain biking adventure. Come learn a new skill, freshen up on some old ones, and spend a Saturday with the fun folks at UTC Outdoors. No experience is necessary. Cost includes equipment, transportation, and instruction. *Pre-registration for this event is required. Please email [email protected] to get a voucher for this event. Please note that space is limited, if you receive a voucher we expect you to attend. If you do not attend we may not give you a voucher in the future.
Library Events
Monday, October 27
No events today!
Tuesday, October 28
No events today!
Wednesday, October 29
Free Workshop: Avoiding Plagiarism
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Library Room 204
There are a lot of varieties of plagiarism. Attend this session to learn what they are and how to avoid them! RSVP here.
Free Workshop: Spooky Sounds (on Synthesizers!)
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Library Room 205
Sync into Synths! Explore the world of circuitry, sound synthesis, and electronics while crafting sounds suitable for a horror movie soundtrack. RSVP here.
Thursday, October 30
Free Workshop: Avoiding Plagiarism
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Library Room 205
There are a lot of varieties of plagiarism. Attend this session to learn what they are and how to avoid them! RSVP here.
Free Workshop: Podcasting for Beginners
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Library Room 204
Learn the basics of capturing and editing audio for podcasting. Using the Studio's equipment, you will discover the use of different microphones for specific settings. We will also go over the basics of editing in Audacity and discuss using the timeline, multiple tracks, splicing audio recordings, adding effects / filters, and mixing tracks. RSVP here.
Free Workshop: Microsoft Word for Undergraduates
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Online
Word is one of the the most commonly used computer programs in the world. However, just because it’s widely used, it doesn’t mean everyone knows how to use it properly (and that’s okay). Join this beginner-friendly workshop as we all learn the tools, formatting skills, and bare bone basics that you will need for undergraduate writing assignments. RSVP here.
Friday, October 31
No events today!