Steve King, the man who the odds suggest will be Ames’ next addition to the House of Representatives due to recent redistricting, has stepped in it again.

Speaking at a town hall meeting up in Le Mars, Iowa a few days ago, King said that Iowa State’s many multicultural groups trend towards victimization, in which their members “feel sorry for themselves.” Continuing, King then linked these groups to Communism.

You can judge the merit of Steve King’s remarks for yourself, however the congressman’s statements accidentally highlight an important aspect of Iowa State culture that adds vitality to student life here: The sheer diversity and quantity of student organizations available to engage and develop everyone’s passions, and maybe help students discover some new ones — or perhaps more importantly, learn what one doesn’t like.

Human beings are creatures of habit; we like what we know. The routine makes us feel comfortable, and that comfort creates a sense of safety and contentment, and even happiness. But invariably, humans are also creatures of adventure and risk.

We might not always think it going into a new challenge, but coming out on the other side of something new typically exhilarates us and produces within us a new passion for life. This new adventure can be anything: From trying a new kind of food, to meeting new people, and from taking a trip to an exotic place to skydiving.

Taking a class outside one’s major or joining a new student group can also be one of those things.

College is supposed to be a time of personal growth and refinement. As has been said in these pages before, it is in college where you are to become the person you’re to be for the rest of your life. And as most of us only come here once in our lives, we have a truly unique opportunity that we will never be able to relive.

According to the Office of the Registrar, the 2012-13 Iowa State course catalog offers more than 100 undergraduate majors, even more minors, and nearly 5,000 courses — 3,381 of which you can take this semester in 5,437 sections. Furthermore, there are over 800 student clubs and organizations running the gamut from organic farming to fencing, from sailing to skeet shooting.

Imagine the all the potential combinations and intellectual possibilities. Nowhere else in the world do you have such opportunity.

As hard as the university is trying to dictate your education and turn you into a cog in the national economic wheel, there is still room in most majors to explore other fields and interests. Sit down with a course catalog sometime, and just flip through the pages. And next Wednesday, stop by the Memorial Union from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and visit ClubFest.

Choose your adventure indeed. But choose and do, before these moments pass and it’s too late.