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

So, Western is sponsoring the events to show our support and make it a memorable gala.  This Friday, June 26^th marks the beginning of the Gunnison River Festival which has one goal, to celebrate our outdoors. 
 

This year they have added two new events, the Gunnison LocoMotive Multisport Race and the 24 Hours of Gunnison Glory endurance climbathon, the first of its kind west of the Mississippi.  The LocoMotive will challenge racers to a 4 mile paddle down the Gunnison River, a 26 mile mountain bike and a 10km trail run. 
 

Believe it or not all of these events are taking place within 5 miles of each other. from the Gunnison Whitewater Park to Hartman Rocks Recreational Area just outside Gunnison.  It will tread on everything from the area’s infamous single track trails to its Joshua Tree style climbing. 
 

To have this type of locale outside our back door is incredible and is no wonder people flock from miles to partake in such an event.  Whether you’re an avid kayaker, adventure racer or climber, or just want to sit back and relax, the Gunnison River Fest has come to please.

It was a gorgeous day for Graduation! No rain or snow, that’s always good!
Governor Bill Ritter ventured to Gunnison to present the commencement address, and send our graduates out into the world.

We are proud of all of our graduates and can’t wait to see them succeed.

It finally seems like winter has gone…woohoo. The river is high, the grass is green, and the flowers are blooming. What a beautiful place to live - I feel so lucky to be in Gunnison this time of year!
Have a great summer guys!

What up people, Mad Jack here with my last blog before graduation. It’s an exciting time of year, and for many it represents the culmination of their college experience at Western.

Temperatures are becoming warmer, our campus is blanketed with green grass rather than white snow, and we all are floating out and about with social activities.

In the past week I’ve been to the Earth Day Celebration, a rap battle, a climbing competition, the Taste of Gunnison, SpringFest and even had some time to play some Frisbee on the Taylor Quad.

Today I’m going to share with you all about an honor that is being awarded to seven graduates this year, the Alumni Award for Excellence.

This may be strange to some of you reading this, as you probably haven’t even started at Western, but please read a few words about the AEE, as it is a good example of the WSC experience.

Levi Gill is one of the AEE recipients and this guy is a “rock-star” student. Now I don’t mean rock star in the sense that he’s partying every night, Levi is just involved in so many activities and is also quite a scholar.

Levi is going to be a teacher and has just secured his student teaching experience in Woodland Park. He also just got two poems published in the Pathfinder, the official student magazine for WSC. This summer he’s going over to Mississippi to volunteer with Together for Hope, an organization that works with poor children and aims to improve their lives.

He is honoring Dr. Alina Luna, a professor of English, who has been a mentor to him both in and out of the classroom. Each AEE recipient honors a teacher/staff member as part of the ceremony.

Cool, everyone, thanks for reading. Enjoy the summer. I hope you’re all getting psyched on Western State College.

Peace out, Mad Jack.

For two days in a row the weather has been close to the 60s, right here in the middle of the Colorado Rocky Mountains!  When spring hits at Western, students come out of the woodwork and start frolicking outside – naturally.

In the past couple of days I have seen lots of students interacting through various activities on the Taylor Lawn (something you will find out about when you come to WSC).  Even right now as I am typing this I can hear a student playing the African Drums while a couple of his buddies are sitting around enjoying the music. I’m enjoying the free, live music too.

There  is a group of guys and gals playing Frisbee, another couple of guys playing tennis golf, some people practicing their balance on a slack line, students and professors alike riding their bikes through campus. And oh, I can’t forget to mention the girls sunbathing and reading while basking in the beautiful Colorado blue skies and intense sun.

The scent of barbeque is filling the air.  I’m sure someone is having a get-together somewhere, yum - I’m getting hungry.  It’s so nice to see people energized and active – that’s Western folk!

Welcome to Spring everyone.  I gotta get to that BBQ.  That’s how you really know it’s Spring in Gunnison, the scent of BBQ.

Shane Carwin began his competitive spark as a wrestler and football player at Greeley West High School.  Shane was a standout wrestler and football player and won state titles as a Greeley West Spartan.  Shane’s academic and athletic achievements inspired him to attend the Highest Divisional College in the World and my beloved home here at Western State College of Colorado (7703’).  This is where Shane blossomed into a true athletic talent and is considered by many as one of the very best athletes to ever wear a Mountaineer uniform.

Shane ended his Mountaineer career as a Five time all American, 2 in football and 3 in wrestling.  Shane is part of the limited bunch of Division II athletes to make the Senior Bowl which is a gathering of the very best football players in all divisions of college football.  He also went on to win a Division II National title in wrestling and placed at the Division I National wrestling championships as well.

So this brings me to the sport Shane is now excelling at: a sport that is taking this world by wildfire, UFC or Ultimate Fighting Championship.  It is everywhere you turn, in commercials, headlined in sports sections of newspapers, spreads in Sports Illustrated are devoted to the sport.  Why is this apparently dangerous and gruesome sport so intriguing to many and hated by many more?  I think it is so alluring because of how insane it actually is, essentially two opponents willing to enter a caged arena to battle for their life. For fighters and for WSC grad Shane Carwin, it is quite possibly the paramount experience of adrenaline that most of us thrill seekers are constantly craving and searching for within our chosen passions.

After graduating from Western with an Environmental Technology degree Shane continued his education at the Colorado School of Mines and is now a Mechanical Engineer subsidizing his UFC income.  Good luck fellow Mountaineer, Shane Carwin, we are rooting for you!!

Signing out for now,

Mad Jack

Waunita is one cool place, only 30 minutes from town. They’ve got a great restaurant, rooms to stay in, a farm with big ol’ happy hens pecking around, and the most wonderful water for relaxing. Every year they let all the mentors and their kids come and play - nice guys. Go check it out sometime, cluck at the chickens, say hey to the fat cat on the porch. Relax and enjoy - or, bring a kid with you and have some fun!

Though it was a little cold it was my time to shine, as it was Preview Day, and Mad Jack had to represent. My leather outfit kept me quite warm as I headed out to the front steps of Taylor Hall to welcome the visiting students.

All decked out and ready to greet, I grabbed my boombox for some tunes I could entertain myself with, and dance a little to stay warm. It was quite a chilly spring morning, with snow blanketing the campus.

Slowly but surely, families showed up, and Lindsey and I offered hot chocolate and a picture with me to our visitors. It’s always quite a trek to get to Gunnison, and we spoke with people from all over the country -  from Alaska to Maine. With the giant snowstorm that shut down Denver I was thankful all of these nice folks made it in safe.

There’s a reason that people come from so far away to visit Western, and it’s because of our unique setting, the great people, and the hands-on educational experience that we offer.

Right now I’m just chillin’ in my office, which is secret of course, Mad Jack has got to lay low. But I will resurrect again for our next Preview Day on April 10th.
If you haven’t visited campus and want to join us on April 10th, sign up here: http://www.western.edu/admissions/preview.php
Hope to see you then!

Peace out,
Mad Jack

Heather Brown was given the opportunity to illustrate a children’s book entitled “Bee & Me.” The book was published last October and is climbing its way to the top of the New York Times’ children’s best seller list.

The 100,000 copies that were released have nearly sold out, and the next round of 50,000 are on their way.

Check out “Bee & Me” here: http://books.google.com/books?id=I9NpH8UbVbcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Bee+%26+me&ei=Qri_Se67FouINoztocsL