I must first write to say (for the first or fifth time I don’t remember) that I do not entirely understand the “blogging” phenomena.  Expressing my thoughts and throwing them to the internet…because seems foolish and arrogant.  If someone really wants to know what I have to say or what I think they would ask.  You didn’t ask but I’ll tell you anyway.

First and foremost– Western is in Gunnison, Colorado. Gunnison is cold, small and secluded.  If you come to Western…be prepared to MAKE YOUR OWN FUN.  There are basically four things to do around here and the students seem to fall into these categories for better or worse 1. Study  2. Party  3. Have Sex 4. Outdoor Recreation.  Ta-da, that’s it.

There is no mall, there is no bowling alley, there is no iMAX, there is … not much so if you need these Urban necessities this is not the place to go.  That being said, the ‘Western Experience’ will be entirely what you make of it.  If you want to graduate with a competitive and competent education the faculty at WSC is more than qualified to get you there. My own Anthropological experience here I would put toe-to-toe with any in the country.  It is that good.  By the same token if you come to Western on Mommy and Daddy’s dime purely to hit the slopes in CB and dance with Mary Jane all day long that is certainly not a far cry from some students I have seen.
Western is unique from most other college campuses because it forces some of these adult decisions (drugs, study, drinking, sex, etc…)  upon you so much quicker.  If you have no plan, you have no goals, you are here…you’re not sure why … you won’t get far.  And this is because….drum roll please…  you’re in Gunnison!  It is up to you!  You have to make your own fun, balance it with study, and experiment as you see fit with very few distractions, (fewer if you cannot afford a Ski Pass).

If you want to leave here with an edge on the competition in your field it’s easy to do, if YOU WANT to.

(more random ramblings to continue at a later, unscheduled time)
Western State College started back up in full swing this last Monday the 24th of August.  It kind of snuck up on me.  I had spent the summer here (taking part in 11 credits in three great places that I hope to post about soon: W Mountain Mountaineer dig site, San Luis, and the Black Canyon) and looked out the window Saturday morning to see a full parking lot!  Holy WA!  It’s that time again.  Time for the Music block party on Main Street (with live music) and a pizza bash on the Ultimate Frisbee field paid for by NUNN construction (with live music) and for the Freshmen to realize that the Preview Day cooking in Keating is not what they serve everyday.  Sometimes there is a reason the sandwich line is the longest in the cafeteria.

And of course…time for classes.  As you progress up the ladder towards being a Senior again you can futz with your schedule much more easily.  You can have classes only in the mornings or afternoons, only on MWF or on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  This comes in handy when looking for that all important JOB to hold you over and pay the bills, oh yeah, and to utilize studying.  Today was quite special however, I had an Archaeology class in the morning with the head of the Anthropology Dept. (Dr. Stiger) total number of students in the class: 8.  That was followed by a Cultural Ecology class with a dual discipline attendance of ENVS and Anthro students, total :24.  What does this mean…small classes.  That’s right the brochures didn’t lie about that.  (an aside note: 24 students is the most full class I am taking, and when the college had Kelly Hall rebuilt they were offered a large lecture hall and turned it down.  Why? for the students)  That class was then followed this afternoon by my Archaeology Lab.  In this the Professor, Dr. Mark Stiger, took 4 students out to tour and fill out Data Management sheets for 2 sites.  I’ll repeat that, 1 Dr.  4 students.  2 sites.  in one lab!

WSC really is what you make of it.

For those of you that actually read this far, kudos! and I’ll leave you with this estranged tidbit.  George Washington was not our first President. Google or Bing “America’s first President under Articles of Confederation” …and now you’ll know.

Thanks, hope to see ya’ll here.

Jeff

Hola Folks,

Hokay, some quick and strange things I figured I would share with you.  Here’s the skinny.

The longer I stay at Western, and the longer that winter seems to stretch out, the greater liking and appreciation I am gathering for crows.  Now, hold on.  I feel you drawing away from me right now.  DON”T!  and here’s why.  The winters up here are quite nice, extreme but nice, and the only kind of wildlife that is constantly present on campus are those scavenging little fowl the crows.  Sure there is an occassional deer or fox that wanders across Western but they aren’t there like crows are.  I didn’t particularly have any liking or dislike or them before I came here but the more mornings I wake up at 8 am and walk across the quad in subfreezing temperatures to my Art History class the more I come to enjoy their estranged company.  It is good to have some kind of living creature around you, some other noise than the skuffle and shuffle of your shoes across the snow, ice, sand and salt, and the crows provide that.  Yesterday as I was walking I could have sworn I heard a dog.  (It sounded like a bark from inside the Beckwith hall)  But I could not believe a dog would be that loud.  I stopped, the puffs of my breath visible before me as I strained my ears.  I heard it again.  “No. Not from Beckwith.”  I said.  I listened harder. The noise came again…I looked up.  Perched in the barren tree limbs high above me was…a crow.  Strange noises and strange activities from a strange but welcome bird.  PS: When you look up, don’t open your mouth.  Just a word to the wise.

Cheers,

Jefe

Dear Anyone who’s reading this,

November 21st and 22nd evenings saw the production of Western’s One Act Play Festival.  These shows are entirely done by students!  It is amazing because every show is student written, student directed, and student acted.  Though the Theater program may not be at the top of your list here you can actually do things usually saved for Graduate school.  We have an incoming Freshman on Lighting Design, a sound studio accessed through our school radio station (KWSB), the sets are built and designed by students…any facet of theatrical production that interests you, you can take part in.  I am a history major but I still participate on Peak Productions board (another student based theater program –management learn about Peak by pasting this link: http://wiki.western.edu/peakproductions/index.php/Main_Page )

Anyroad, there were six shows and it took about an hour to get through them, they are presented every other year.  Not sure what else to say with it being finals week and my brain running on empty.

Cheers,

Jeff

Well at least that got your attention.  Yes this is my first blog post.  I will try to keep it clear of oopses and whoops.  My senior year of High School I was very much unsure of which undergraduate institute I wanted to enroll in.  As a matter of chance, I came to Western to watch a football game that year and as I looked out from Mountaineer Bowl (Our Football field and track) I paused.  The view is damned spectacular!  Dr. Vandenbusche, a noted history professor here at Western, has been known to say that Gunnison is best in all things that can end in -ly: environmentally, visually, beautifully, etc… and he is correct in saying so.  My original intent in coming here was to get my General Education requirements out of the way and then transfer, but after spending a year here and developing friendships with students and professors (that’s right, some professors know me by name!  Pretty shweet for a College dontcha think?) I decided I wanted to stay here all four years.  Give this place a chance and I am willing to wager that it will suck you in and hold on tight too.

Shouldst thou read farther I promise I will get into actual experiences, just thought I would start out with some background.  Tales of Theatrical daring, riske performances, frosty weather, College craziness, and many many others are to follow.  Share and share alike eh?