Ready to feel empowered? Next month could kick-off an era of Millennial political dominance. People born between 1980 and 2000 make up the largest generation in American history, and now that most of us can vote, we could prove pivotal to this year’s midterm elections.

Midterms are often unfairly written off as inconsequential placeholders that dot the years between presidential contests. But there’s a bunch at stake this year.

Get this

We Millennials number 80 million in the US—and only slightly more Americans (82.5 million) voted in the 2010 midterms.

Shaking up Congress

As you read this, 468 members of the US Congress are running for re-election, each hoping that young voters will boost them like they boosted now-President Obama in 2008.

Republicans think they can take control of the Senate by capitalizing on Obama’s low popularity. Democrats are hopeful that an improving economy—and a Supreme Court decision that threatens employee access to some forms of birth control—will convince voters to put them back in charge of the House of Representatives.

College costs & environment

Thirty-eight states and territories will elect governors—who play a pivotal role in environmental protections and college affordability.

Minimum wage & marijuana

In a handful of states, including Massachusetts, voters will choose whether to raise the minimum wage. Citizens in Florida and three other states will vote on proposals to loosen restrictions on marijuana, Ballotpedia reports.

Students pushing for change

In New York City, students have joined parents and teachers to protest the Common Core education standards. In North Carolina, students established the #DebtFreeUNC campaign for fairer student loan terms. They delivered more than 18,000 red squares—each representing a University of North Carolina graduate with loan debt—to the governor and to a leading candidate for the US Senate, The Nation reported.

Settling into campus life comes with tons of things to do. Be sure to add “experiencing wilderness” to your list.

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home, that wilderness is a necessity” — said the naturalist John Muir. Okay, so that was 113 years ago. But if wilderness was a necessity then, what is it now, with all the pressures of technology, social media, midterms, roommates, assignments, and internships?

This month is the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, which permanently protects millions of acres of wilderness — and your space to exercise, de-stress, bond with friends, and experience the gorgeousness of America (and yourself) in different ways.

Take a few minutes now to learn about nature getaways near you. Then when you really want a break, you’ll know where to find it. Admission at national parks is free on September 27 (National Public Lands Day) and November 11 (Veterans Day).

What’s your nature?

Find your local wilderness and events honoring 50 years of the Wilderness Act.

• Find local events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act
• Find volunteer events celebrating National Public Lands Day, September 27
• Find a wilderness
• Find a US National Park
• Find a US state park
• Find a free admission day
• Find out about the history of wilderness in the US 
• Find a Canadian National Park, National Historic Site, or National Marine Conservation Area

More than half of students involved in clubs, teams, and organizations experience hazing, according to StopHazing.org, a hazing prevention and research initiative based at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. Hazing is any activity associated with joining a group that involves degrading, abusive, risky, or illegal practices—like drinking games, sleep deprivation, paddling, or verbal abuse. Hazing has hit the headlines for causing physical and emotional harm (and, in some cases, death). Students with histories of mental health issues, abuse, and trauma are particularly vulnerable.

Student Health 101 talked with Susan Lipkins, PhD, a psychologist and author of Preventing Hazing (2006).

Here’s what you need to know:

• A typical hazing perpetrator is simply a senior student who had it done to him or her as a freshman.
• Hazing is rarely called hazing. You’re more likely to hear “rights of passage,” “ritual,” “tradition,” “pledging,” or “this is what we do.”
• Rumors of what goes on in a sports team or fraternity are usually true. But if you ask members, they are likely to lie, and you might get a worse hazing.
• As individuals, students who resist or object tend to get it worse.
• As groups, new students can arrange in advance that they will say “enough” and leave. This is effective only when the group sticks together.
• Don’t try to stop a hazing ritual unless you are in a position of social power.
• As groups, bystanders can moderate a hazing ritual. These lines are useful: “We don’t want to lose our team or scholarship”; “We don’t want to end up in jail or the hospital.”  Effective intervention can end with bystanders escorting the newcomers out.
• Is hazing a bonding experience? “It is bonding—in the same way that you can bond in a car accident together,” says Susan Lipkins.
• Most important: If you are in a position to report hazing, anonymously or not, do so.