Most interesting man in the world?

Today marks the first day of classes @ UConn and I’ve already come across people with a keen sense of humor.

For some reason, I heard two references to the famous Dos Equis commercials. I guess that’s not uncommon for a college campus, but I thought these two references deserved a mention:

-guy wearing a t-shirt that said “I don’t always rush a fraternity but when I do I prefer (name of pan-hellenic organization here)”
-typical icebreaker interview in English class. One student has his partner for the activity introduce him as “the most interesting man in the world”

In case you’ve never seen the ads:

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Freshmen Huskies take on Storrs

Today is the first day for freshmen in Storrs. So…welcome new Huskies!

A group of freshmen Huskies. Just kidding: "Greenland husky puppies" via Flickr/chrissy575

While I’m not in UConn Country quite yet, I thought I would blog about a N.Y. Times article I read the other day: “Students, Welcome to College; Parents, Go Home.” I’m sure many people who are now in Storrs can relate to this article.

The piece discusses the approaches of a few colleges to drop-off days. Some colleges are very specific in setting parent-student boundaries:

Formal “hit the road” departure ceremonies are unusual but growing in popularity, said Joyce Holl, head of the National Orientation Directors Association. A more common approach is for colleges to introduce blunt language into drop-off schedules specifying the hour for last hugs.

I don’t remember attending a “hit the road” ceremony at UConn. However, I do see a “Time to Say Goodbye: End of Family Program” on the schedule. Here’s what I do remember from my first day from last year:

*I moved in and met my roommate — awesome dude.
*My parents and I ate at Husky Pizza, a place that later became the late-night hangout for my dorm.
*I went to a convocation ceremony in Gampel. I sat with my dormmates, but I think I could have sat with my family if I wanted to.
*Due to rain, the outdoors goodbye BBQ was moved to a couple of dining halls on campus. The hall closest to my dorm was swamped. So, I said goodbye to my parents on the South Campus lawn. The separation was really symbolic since my parents were standing on top of a knoll and my new friends were on the field below. I was moving from one level of my life to another.

So Huskies: what are your memories of the first day on campus? Bonus: if any freshmen are reading this blog…what did you think of today?

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UConn proves popular with the GHS crowd

Apparently cardinals are flying up to Husky country in droves.

UConn is the most popular four-year institution with GHS seniors by the number of students planning to attend in the fall, according to Colin Gustafson’s article in Sunday’s paper. Check it out at http://bit.ly/bRWbfF.

In the article, one member of the Class of 2010 said something that I could relate to as a GHS alum and UConn student:

“Hayashida and Christian are two of my good friends,” Sale said. “I might not see them all the time at a school that’s so large. But it’s just reassuring to know that I have two good friends going through the same experiences as me.”

For the record, I believe five GHS grads resided in my dorm last year, including myself. When Undergraduate Student Government held their massive ice cream social for all the freshman, I remember the comforting feeling of seeing a few good friends in a crowd of new and unfamiliar people. For all those GHS grads out there who have gone from GHS to UConn, what was your experience in your high school to college transition? Feel free to comment…

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President Hogan leaves UConn

The Hartford Courant just reported that President Hogan has resigned from UConn to take a position as president of the University of Illinois.

An article in the University of Illinois student paper, Daily Illini, discusses the amount of time that Hogan has spent at UConn:

Corey Schmitt, one of the student trustees at the University of Connecticut, said Hogan’s relatively short stint as president was one of the reasons he was surprised when he found out Hogan was leaving the university.

“No one really knew, it came as a big shock to all of us,” he said, referring to members of the university’s board of trustees. “He’s been here for two and a half years, so that’s one of the main reasons we were kind of caught off-guard,”

Comments from Facebook and Twitter comically reference the president’s $4000 carpet, which was at the center much controversy this year, and cardboard cut outs of Hogan.

“What will we ever do with the $3000 worth of Hogan cardboard cut outs?” reads one of many tweets under the hashtag #UConn.

To my readers, what do you think of Hogan’s departure? How would you rate his performance over his years as president? Who do you think might be the next university president?

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Year one in a husky’s life

Year one: Complete. The following post is a reflection that I wrote during a finals week study break.

“Are we there yet?” one of my friends asks as we trudge deeper into the forest.

The answer was of course, no. But almost.

“Do you know where we’re going?”

And the answer was maybe. But wait – I don’t remember seeing that piece of sheet metal against that branch.

Sonja and Taylor, two of my most adventurous friends were playing the role of tour guides. They had discovered a really cool place for a picnic during one of their nature walks. Five of my friends — Erin, Valerie, Jack, Colleen, John — and I decided to follow them one Saturday afternoon before finals.

The woods behind Horsebarn Hill, collectively known as “UConn Forest” on Google, represented the unexplored on my UConn map. Before I had ventured out that day, I thought that I knew of all the places where I could run or walk around campus. This would be a new adventure.

We descended down a dirt path crisscrossed with tree roots. Rocks and branches littered the trail.

Forty minutes since we left the student union, we arrived at the picnic site, a little ‘beach’ at the bend of a local creek.

After eating our pre-packaged dinner purchased with the remainder our meal points, I decided to wade into the cool water. I removed my sandals, allowing them to float on the surface of the water just to watch the weak current try and steal them away. I picked them up seconds later downstream.

Sometime soon after I almost lost my sandals, one of my friends mentioned that you can never walk in the same river twice. Or as the philosopher Ephesus said, “A man will never walk in the same river twice because it is not the same river and he is not the same man.” I like to think of Ephesus’ river as my creek. Its magical flow represents the changes within me and my environment that allowed me to grow during freshman year.

The move from home to dorms provided a major change in how I ran my life. Living on campus meant the absence of parents, but greater responsibly and the opportunity to make more decisions. Many of those choices were made with the help of dormmates and classmates.

My friends made my new journey through my particular creek particularly unique. At the beginning of freshman year we were those students wandering into an unknown woods following each other, trying to figure out everything from what to do on weekends to which classes to register for to which dining hall provides the most edible food. Friends provided me with the reason to experience the unknown, like go to a basketball game before I had come to UConn I hadn’t seen the Huskies play – gasp – or to take a new trail for a study break in a place that I had never seen before.

As freshman year comes to a close, I find myself studying inside as the sun shines brightly through my window. I shuffle through my notes and flashcards. The fun of summer grins behind the stress of final exams. I smile and ask myself a simple question, “Are we there yet?”

***

I would also like to recognize my friends of Buckley Four South who have taught me not to take life so seriously. I will always remember the castles made of of boxes in the hallway, the fake dead bird that I found in my room that I thought was real and the epic April Fools’ Day “room rearrangement” that included a bed stuffed with 1 ½ recycling bins of crumpled back issues of The Daily Campus. And how could I forget the 1 a.m. basketball and hockey games? Thanks guys and see you next year.

***

To all new Huskies: congrats and feel free to let me know if you have any questions about the freshman year experience.

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Posted in Second Semester, Trips | 3 Comments

“Hitting the books” or Everybody loves finals

President Hogan is serving up breakfast in the student union. People are actually (trying) to study in the lounges. Homer Babbidge is one popular man.

The campus busses provide a harbringer to the week to come. Last Friday, I noticed the electronic signs on the bus were programmed to say “good luck on exams.” Thanks.

Basically the total vibe on campus has changed. Party, party, party has quickly become study, study, study. For me, that means less blogging. However, please do stayed tuned for a few — one or two at the least — posts on the end on the coda of my freshman year before Husky Life goes into “hibernation” for awhile.

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The Future of Spring Weekend?

Two Facebook groups that I recently stumbuled upon discuss the future of Spring Weekend.

One group, “UConn Executitve Plan to end Spring Weekend!!!”,  details suggestions made by the Student Life Committee in Feb. to curtail certain elements of the infamous event.

Some of the  committee’s recomendations, according to the fb group and the summary, include:

“Do not allow the days of unsanctioned events of Spring Weekend to grow; establish a goal to eliminate one of the three days within three years.”

“Faculty can help play an important role in help promoting a safe spring weekend that helps celebrate students academic achievements by requiring attendance the Friday of spring weekend.”

The other group, “End Spring Weekend”, calls for UConn to end spring weekend in the wake of the fight that sent UConn student Jafar Karzoun to the hospital. A message posted on the group’s info tab reads,

“This year, a student was assaulted on Thursday night of Spring Weekend, and as of Saturday morning is still in critical condition. UCONN might end up in a position where they have to say that a student was killed, on our campus, during Spring Weekend. This should have never happened and should never happen again.”

What do you think? Should UConn take steps to bring Spring Weekend down a notch, or should it take extra efforts to protect students? Should UConn consider cancelling it or is it an essential part of the UConn experience?

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Spring Weekend From A Froshie Prospective

I couldn’t call this a UConn blog without mentioning Spring Weekend. It’s big news. In fact, the Huffington Post picked up The Daily Campus‘ coverage of Thursday night at Carriage. To get a better idea of what this time of celebration is really about — hint hint lots of drinking — check out the Hartford Courant’s gallery.

Here is what I saw/heard on my first spring weekend:

*someone burning a sweatshirt in a campfire. I believe that the individual was subsequently arrested.
*a noticeable police, fire and EMS presence. Check points by police. Flashing lights. Everywhere.
*a UConn pick-up truck stocked with water bottles parked on the trail between campus and the off-campus parties. One of the travelers on this path exclaimed, “Someone must be very thirsty!”
*friendly police officers — well as long as you’re nice to them. On the way out I said, “Have a good night, officer.” He replied, “Thanks for coming.”
*mud in the showers due to the campus’ legendary Oozeball games.
*people from Domino’s Pizza trying to deliver Pizza through the crowds at Celeron and X-Lot.

So UConn students and alumns, what is your favorite spring weekend memory?

Spring Weekend, UConn, Storrs, Spring Weekend 2010

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