Monday, March 18, 2013

Dancing at UAF


Dance is awesome.  It’s a good opportunity to meet new people, a world-recognized flirting technique, a fun physical activity, and a talent worth showing off.  And, guess what the best part is?  There are tons of dance classes offered at UAF and in the Fairbanks community!  Ballroom, middle-eastern, hip-hop, break dancing, ballet, contemporary, jazz, and modern are the dance styles available through UAF, each with varying levels of difficulty/experience.  The beginning classes are great for students with no experience or those who want a refresher, intermediate allows for continuation of development, and advanced, while awesome, rarely has enough students to actually run the class.  UAF even provides events to show off your skill, with Residence Life and SAO hosting multiple dances every semester and the SpringFest dance performance every April!


But UAF isn’t where the dancing ends!  There is a community ballroom dance club that hosts regular social dances as well as having classes in specific styles of ballroom.  There are contra dances twice per month that are open to the public where beginners are encouraged and taught along the way (Facebook for contra: Contra Borealis Dancers).  Dance Theatre Fairbanks offers a variety of classes and puts on at least one ballet performance every semester.  Boston’s has salsa and latin dance nights.  There are performances at various clubs/bars here, though you have to be 21 to watch those.
All in all, there is a huge variety of dancing opportunities considering our location in the middle of the state of Alaska!  I encourage all to give it a try, it’s a lot of fun!!!

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Who got the cup? We got the cup!!


WHO GOT THE CUP? WE GOT THE CUP!
 
The Governor’s cup is ours once again, 4 years in a row. “Gov Cup” as we call it, is one of the most exciting events for UAF students and hockey fans from around the Fairbanks community. Not only does it signal the start of spring, but Gov Cup is a rivalry game between UAF and University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA).

The first game was held at the Carlson Center on Friday March 1st. Students, including myself, showed up an hour and a half early to ensure that they could get good seats. My friends and I ended up with seats that were right on the ice, in the middle of the student section. We painted our faces while we waited for the game to start, and got pumped!

The lights dimmed and the introductions began… Seniors first. Thompson, Henderson, Granberg, Yaremchuck, Odegard, and finally Taranto. The crowd went nuts for every senior. We love our seniors!

Finally after all the introductions were made, it was time for some NANOOK HOCKEY!!!! We won the first game in an overtime thriller 2-1. The student section and the entire Carlson Center went wild, with students screaming and jumping around! It was awesome… But we all knew to win the cup we had to defeat UAA in Anchorage the following day.

Saturday rolled around and UAF students loaded on to 2 tour buses for the trip down to Anchorage. The trip took about 7 hours, but once we arrived we were all ready to cheer on our Nanook hockey team! We got to the game with about an hour to spare.. We again painted our faces and sported our Blue and Gold!

The puck dropped and not 8 seconds later the Nanooks had their first goal! No one could believe it! The UAF student section went crazy! The rest of the first period passed with some intense hockey but, no goals until there was only 2.5 seconds left! Boom, goal for the Nooks!

The second period started and again intense hockey ensued. Nanooks scored, now 3-0. The goal was answered by UAA, score now 3-1. The rest of the game passed with no more goals… With one minute left the UAF student section got to their feet cheering, “Who got the cup?” with more students responding “We got the cup!”

The team hit the ice for a group celebration, then the cup was presented. Our seniors all got their picture with the cup and a lap around the ice in front of the student section. Finally it was time for the team picture, with the cup in front of all the cheering students. After the pictures were complete several of the players threw themselves against the glass to the cheers of the UAF students.


4peat!! All the players and coaches, backed by all the UAF students that made the trip to Anchorage.




Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Spring Inside Out

    The greatest get-to-know-UAF event is InsideOut. It is a really fun way to see the campus, and all things relevant, especially in the Spring. The sun is always shining and snow might be melting.
    Parents and students both share some aspects of the experience, but there are certain parent-only and student-only sessions that are offered throughout the day. Some of the fun events that constitute the day are: mock classes, walking tours, learning about the admission process, learning about the study-abroad process, and a student panel where you can ask questions you may have to current students.
    The whole event costs nothing (except for your travel and accommodations), and coffee and tea are provided in the morning, while lunch is provided around noon. You can see the full schedule of events, as well as find out how to register here: http://www.uaf.edu/admissions/insideout/.
    But, really, the highlight of the whole event is the campus tour. Fun guides (who are usually students) take your around to see everything, within an hour and a half, they will also fill you in on important information you’ll want to know about campus life. The tours are cohesive and jam-packed... sometimes it is hard to come up with any questions afterwards.
    So, join a bunch of cool peeps at UAF for a day on Friday, March 8th, and see what our stove's got cookin'!

Monday, March 4, 2013

Spring Inside Out 2013


It’s that time of year again! Spring Inside Out is just around the corner (Friday, March 8th to be exact!) and the Office of Admissions and the Registrar, and all of the Student Ambassadors are getting ready to host students and give them an in-depth look at what attending UAF is actually like!

Inside Out is for anyone interested in learning more about UAF and experiencing all of college life:from the classes, to financial aid information, campus tours, and even attending presentations on getting out of Fairbanks and studying abroad! You can register online now at http://www.uaf.edu/admissions/insideout/register/.

The day begins at 8:15am with Check-In and Registration, and is followed by a quick welcome before you start your day of exploring UAF. At 9:15 there are multiple Mock Classes you can attend depending on your interests and potential area of study. While you get the chance to go to experience what a college class is like, your parents get to listen to special presentation on Transitioning to College, and how to deal with the big changes coming up in your lives! After your class is finished, the Walking Campus Tours begin. They will take you through various academic buildings, a quick trip through the dorms, and also to look at some of the non-academic recreational buildings on campus like the Student Rec Center, the Patty Center, and the Wood Center.

Once you get back from your tour, your schedule becomes more flexible and you get to choose how to spend your afternoon! We have lunch at the Lola Tilly Commons, visits to the Honors House, Bookstore, and the Student Art Gallery, and also a walk through of the Admissions Process for anyone interested.

At 1:15 there is a Study Abroad presentation that will give you more information if you think you might want to attend a semester or year of school somewhere other than UAF. They will have information on both International Study Abroad programs, as well as the National Student Exchange program.

At 2:00pm you will once again get to split up from your parents and sit in on a UAF Student Panel where you can ask any questions you might have to out Student Ambassador Representatives! At the same time as the Student Panel, your parents get to sit in on their own panel with the different departments on campus such as Residence Life, Financial Aid, Admissions, Student Services, and the Business Office.

At 3:00 the day will end with the Grand Finale, and a better understanding of UAF as well! If you are even contemplating attending UAF, this would be a valuable event to attend! After spending a full day on campus you will gain a better perspective of UAF and what an awesome school it is! We hope to see you there!

Saturday, March 2, 2013

GOVCUP!

This weekend is GovCup, part of Winter Carnival, one of the three Traditions at UAF. It's the hockey game between UAF and our rivals UAA. Tonight was game one and we won one-two, us. Here are some noteworthy photos taken during the night.
© Shaun Nesheim 2013

© Shaun Nesheim 2013

© Shaun Nesheim 2013 
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