Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Homecoming Dance!

We spoke this morning with the owner of Alaska Photobooth Company, and she let us know that they won't be posting Homecoming Dance images on Facebook....BUT, she will share a CD and we can post some of them here on the blog! That might take several days, but we'll let you know when we have them.

And here are a few shots, courtesy of Alumni Relations' Heather Karwowski, who worked the Homecoming Dance on behalf of the UAA Alumni Association, the group that sponsored the two photobooths at the dance. As you can see from the pix, they were a hit! So stay tuned here over the next several days and we'll share some pix.

What is it about photobooths that brings out the fun in us?

Happy Homecoming!

Ready for a Homecoming Dance!

Heather Karwowski, working on behalf of Alumni, who sponsored the fun Photobooth.



And, since we all love pictures so much, we want to share this album, posted on the UAA Homecoming page on Facebook. Have a little deja vu fun scanning back over all the amazing activities last week, from the Massive Monkees, to Hannibal Buress, to The Exchange and A Cappella Festivella. Oh, and the Shopping Cart Parade and the Kendall Hockey Classic VICTORY for the Seawolves. All in all, a good time. Hope you had massive amounts of fun at Homecoming 2012.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Behind the scenes makes Homecoming happen


This post is a thank you to all the students, volunteers and staff who work behind the scenes to help make Homecoming a big success. Thank you to Audriana Pleas (Audri to us), KRUA station manager and a member of UAA's Concert Board,  who sent these in Saturday.
Here's Audri, tabling at the Hannibal Buress concert!






Joe Selmont and Garren Volper cleaning up after the A Cappella Festivella.
KRUA's mid-day reception for Radio Land. Handing out chips, red vines and free CD's. Thank you Tanner Thomas and Lawrence Hoeschel.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Shopping cart madness - finale edition!

Alumni get in on the Homecoming fun


UAA Alumni Relations and the UAA Alumni Association have been active in Homecoming this year. They hosted one of Thursday's three "Good Morning, Seawolves" brunches; their spot was in the Administration/Humanities Lobby, for which many students were grateful ;-).

Later that day, they hosted an Alumni Reception in the Wendy Williamson Lobby before the 19th annual A Cappella Festivella. Here's a few shots, courtesy of Heather Karwowski of Alumni Relations.

Heather ready to welcome the alumni.

The reception for UAA Alumni drew a crowd,

Definitely a happy customer.
Getting a chance to reconnect.

Cool new alumni poster, with an alum!

More Shopping Cart Parade madness

Thank you to UAA Advancement's Erin Hooley for her take on the parade. She's the master of UAA's photoblog, called Northern Exposures. Here's just a taste of what you will find there, so go visit!

Jill and the Tiny Giant!

Shopping Cart photo madness begins!


You saw a lot of people at the Shopping Cart Parade with cameras. Here's some of their work.

Thanks to James Finger of UAA Advancement for these shots of Thursday's parade:

The man in gold skin!




Cool guy in Medieval-looking shirt.
Everybody gets a headband.




Crowded!


Spandex has its advantages!

Singing down the Wendy: A Cappella Festivella with The Exchange

This report comes from tonight's performances at the A Cappella Festivella:
"The A Cappella Festivella is going so well! The headliners rocking out to a Carly Rae Jepson song. And THAT'S always a good time!

--Sofia Fouquet
The Exchange in action at A Cappella Festivella, the 19th time UAA has hosted it. 
Joe Selmont writes: "Looking for Volunteers."
The audience looks packed and engaged. Were you there? What did you like about their performance? Did you "volunteer?"

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Most popular Homecoming blog post so far?

Readers are very interested in the two Photobooth opportunity for Friday night's Homecoming Dance. Thanks to coordination between USUAA and the UAA Alumni Association. Last year's dance had a booth too, and to whet your appetite for the fun, here's what one of last year's out takes looked like! Cute, aren't they? Get in on the fun this year, too. Dena-ina Center, doors open at 8 p.m. and the fun lasts until 1 a.m. Student tickets are $10 in advance (smart) or $20 at the door. Buy them through uaatix.com.

You know about the shuttles, too, right? Leaving every 15 minutes beginning at 7:30 p.m. from the Commons and from in front of the UAA Campus Bookstore.


Hannibal Buress, on stage at the Wendy

Hannibal Buress didn't graduate from college, but got 3/4ths done; he wants a 3/4-degree!

What was your favorite joke in Wednesday's comedy show by Hannibal Buress? Some of the best came in his emergency room experience. Listen to it here. He joked about TSA, including deciding to tell them his name was Mike, not Hannibal. "They just said, 'No you're not. You're Hannibal. Have a nice flight."

He teased the ASL translator by talking about her during the show so that she had to translate about herself. That tickled him a lot.

The Wendy was full of students, many overheard saying, "I need a good laugh."  They got it.

Buress told the story of his worst birthday ever, when he turned 29 and was in the back seat of a car that crashed and ended riding in an "ambAlance."

Thanks Hannibal, for a great show.


Best cart in the whole parade!

Those skiers! What does Spandex do to make them so fun-loving? They had the best entry in the Shopping Cart Parade.

Thank you Annie Route for sending this over to the blog!  More photos from the whole parade and a video will be forthcoming, we hope by tomorrow morning! Come back and see yourself in the  parade!

UAA Nations, Cultural Extravaganza showcased diverse talents

Thank you to Andre Thorn for sharing some details and photos from Monday's All UAA Nations, Cultural Extravaganza event.

Ashleigh Nero, Mistress of Ceremonies
"The Multicultural Center sponsored the All UAA Nations, Cultural Extravaganza on Monday October 8 in the Student Union. Ashleigh Nero acted as the Mistress of Ceremony and did a fine job kicking off the 2012 Homecoming Cultural Extravaganza.

Pianist George Yang
The Multicultural Center sponsored a yummy cake for all to enjoy.

A diverse mix of students and Homecoming guests demonstrated their lively talents, including:
And more!
Reggae-rock band Prime  Minister






Poet Eddy Ozama

Coming together in Shopping Cart Parade Land

Volunteers of the World's cart.
Thank you to Tracy Stewart and Jessica Dyrdahl who sent over a few shots from the Student Union that capture the intensity of parade preparation.

Jessica snapped a shot of Joseph Iurtsema, who has helped create a shopping cart on behalf of the Volunteers Around the World. Joseph, let us know who your partner in crime is there, and we'll add his name to the photo caption! Good work guys. Very Green and Gold!

Gold body paint; the fun begins!
And then there is the gold body paint. But of course! We knew this was coming ;-).

Tracy texted:
"Here's a pic of the chaos that comes before the shopping cart parade! I can't even imagine what the actual parade will be like!"

We can't either, but we'll be there to find out!

By the way, did you hear The Exchange in the Student Union at lunchtime?

Tracy sent us this image of the performers, and texted:

"Sneak peak of The Exchange, jamming out at the Student Union. Dancing with crowd members ;-)"

Well, Ted Kincaid will be on hand to grab some Shopping Cart Parade video and we'll post that up on this blog either tonight or early tomorrow morning!

I'm seeing so much green and gold, that I'm starting to dream in those colors!


Still hungry? Doubtful, if you stopped in at "Good Morning Seawolves" around campus this morning

Admin Lobby at class passing time.
UAA Alumni Association hosted a 'Good Morning Seawolves' over in the Administration/Humanities Lobby. I passed by there, and boy it looked good. There were bagels and cream cheese, big fat blueberry scones, real-life fresh fruit (pineapple, watermelon, grapes, cantalope). Oh, and those really cool, hot filled breakfast tortillas with sour cream and salsa.

USUAA Prez Alejandra described this whole week as a training stint for Thanksgiving! That sounds about right!

And there is always the fun Seawolf swag - green cow bells and Homecoming 2012 T-shirts. Grab one for the shopping cart parade later this afternoon. 


"Good Morning, Seawolves?" breakfast fetes were three places on campus this morning: ADM, USUAA Student Union and Health Sciences Building. Impossible to go hungry!!

Today: Shopping Cart Parade, 2:15 pm start at WFSC


What craziness will prevail today with the second annual Shopping Cart Parade? These shopping carts are the Mini-Coopers of parade floats!

Last year, they were transformed into a canoe, a military Humvee, giant candy dispensers, you name it. Seawolf athletes outdid themselves in green and gold Spandex, don't you know!

Brian Sechrist and a team are working on shopping cart right now. He sent us a few shots of what's developing in the workroom. It will be fun to see how it turns out ;-). But here it is in its early stages: some sort of a supporting box in the cart; and making a big mess of wood chips, the fun part! What's your guess?

See you at the Shopping Cart Parade in WFSC at 2:15 p.m. And, if you want to see last year's parade to warm of for today, find it posted at Alejandra's earlier blog post!


Tasty morning treats, thanks to USUAA!

So much food my stomach can barely handle it... I'm sorry, what? There's ice cream??!

The best part of Homecoming week: the food. From nachos and infinite amounts of guacamole (thank you daily Den!), to ice cream and infinite amounts of whip cream, this week can surely be used as a training session for Thanksgiving.
Homecomoing giveaway -- USUAA USB bracelet!
Thursday (that's RIGHT NOW!!!)  from 8:30-10 outside of the USUAA office in the Student Union we will be giving away danishes, juice, coffee cake, and many other deliciously delectable breakfast snacks. And don't forget the amazing swag item that we have saved especially for Homecoming Week! There is a very limited amount so get there early. Here is a peek of the item, a USB bracelet.

How do I keep my slim figure you might ask? Talk fast, eat slow, walk quickly, and never be afraid to ask for seconds!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Happy Homecoming fellow Seawolves!

Or should I say, happy midterms that you don't have time for because you're too excited about Homecoming?

This week has been a rough one for everyone that I can see thus far, but no fear! The morning munchies with your student senators will soon be here!

That's right! On Thursday (Oct. 11) from 8:30-10 a.m. you will find a plethora of tasty treats and yummy eats to fill you up before you go ace that next exam! There will also be a very special give away, something stylish yet practical, so get there early to make sure you get the swag!

Also on Thursday is the Second annual Homecoming Shopping-Cart Parade! Take a peek at last year's if you don't know what I am talking about!


This is my favorite event of Homecoming Week, right next to the dance. This year, I have been asked to judge and therefore will not get to fully participate in the parade, however I am very excited to see all the participants!

Finally, are you going to the Homecoming Dance?! As many of you know this annual dance is hosted by USUAA, and our Activities Committee has been working hard to make sure this Homecoming is better than all the rest! We have also been lucky enough to team up with the Alumni Association of UAA to host TWO Photobooths at the dance! This is a very exciting new partnership that we can't be happier about, so thank you Alumni!

And don't forget to HOWL for your home team (Seawolf Hockey, of course!) as they play on Friday! I will be at the game selling programs, so make sure to stop by!

Alejandra Buitrago
USUAA Student Body President

Massive Monkees deliver massive fun

These truly topnotch performers took over command of the ground floor of the Student Union Tuesday night and delivered great moves and great spirit to an appreciative crowd. Anchorage even delivered some dancers for an interactive set, and I must say, the Alaskans performed with comfort and style.

Most recently, the Massive Monkees were named world champions of b-boy competition R-16 in Seoul, South Korea, becoming the first U.S. crew to win R16 in the  history of the competition.
They have 28 members and about six of them were here in Anchorage to show their skills. They have big careers, and you can read all about their achievements here.

But the real point of this post is to share some snapshot video of their performance, and Anchorage's response. 



Anna Banana Freeze invited 10 members of the audience to join her on stage. She broke them into two rows of five across the stage and then they went through various classic moves -- steps, kicks, the freeze. They caught on right away; these guys were experienced! So then they each took the stage and performed for the crowd. They seemed to be having a very good time!



And here are two more snippets of Massive Monkees, performing for the crowd. The show lasted from about 7:30-8:45 p.m. The Cafeteria was set up with a dance floor and two amazing decks of flood lights that highlighted the dancers' moves and made interesting shadows. 







I must apologize for spelling Massive Monkees with a 'y' a few times! Very sorry! You were fantastic performers. Thanks for coming to UAA's 2012 Homecoming Week.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

UPDATE: TWO Photo booths at Homecoming Dance!

UPDATE: USUAA Prez Alejandra Buitrago confirmed that there will be 2 Photobooths at this year's dance. USUAA and UAA Alumni Association are hosting them. This was so much fun last year! People get all dressed up and look fantastic.

Here's a link to last year's Photo booth Facebook page, just to remind you of how very cool it was. This year's Photo Booth will be sponsored by the UAA Alumni Association. A great way to stay connected to your college years after you graduate and move on into your career.

Also nice -- you can grab a shuttle to the dance and skip the search for parking downtown. They leave every 15 minutes from the Commons and the Campus Bookstore, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Student tickets are $10 in advance (smart) or $20 at the door. Get them through uaatix.com or stop by the Student Union Information Desk.

1,500 folks attended last year! Come out, lookin' good!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Wrapping up Day One

It was a Monday, yes?

Just a couple of notes. The blue background on this blog is....(drum roll)...hockey ice! Yeah, because at the end of this week, UAA will face off Canisius College of Buffalo, New York at 8 p.m. Friday, and then the Air Force on Saturday. Get ready for some puck action, all right.

I hope you got some sweets at the Afternoon Desserts on Monday. High fives to Greek Life who served goodies at the Student Union, and UAA Career Services Center over at Rasmuson Hall. And thank you to the Black Students Union for that most important treat of the day. What did your mom always tell you? Eat breakfast. This week, you can, almost everyday, somewhere on campus. For FREE!

If this first day of Homecoming sort of caught you by surprise, no worries. It's easy to check the schedule every day on the Homecoming website. But we're gonna give you a head's up on cool stuff for tomorrow:

MASSIVE MONKEES

11-11:30 a.m.
12:30-1 p.m.
Student Union

7:30 p.m.
Student Union

Massive Monkees is an unsurpassed crew of energetic b-boys/b-girls (break dancers) originating in Seattle, WA. “They are percussively-gifted, hip-hop dervishes,” (artsjournal.com) and “one of the most famous breaking crews in the world,” (seattletimes.com).

Those guys are guaranteed to make you hungry. 
So, what do you need to know? Where the Free Food is.

FREE FOOD

Good Morning Seawolves will be at Gorsuch Commons Tuesday, 8-9:30 a.m. No sleeping in, I guess. 

And, as luck would have it, the Student Union Gallery is featuring "Radio Land" Lunch Reception from 12-1:30 p.m. This goodness is sponsored by KRUA 88.1 FM

And, thanks to a few snap-happy cameras, here are two shots from today's event over in the Student Union:
Massive Monkees giving it a go about noon today in the SU.
The first-ever UAA Nations Cultural Extravaganza. 





















Emmy and Lamont: Between the lines

Fiction by Joe Selmont.
Do you remember these two from our fall back-to-campus blog? It was called UAA Life Hacks because it was intended to ease everyone's return to campus. There's soooo much to do, to know, to accomplish in those first few weeks. Campus experts, from students to staff and faculty, offered some tips on easing back in to the life of the mind.

And then there was Lamont Harpe, a fictional character created by French literature major Joe Selmont. And there was Emmy, who first popped up in one of Lamont's classes.

In the first few weeks of school, they started to notice each other, and flirt a little. Then, this happened.

First kiss. Illustration by Ted Kincaid
Wow.

Well...

Now that we are much deeper into the semester, Joe is a very busy guy. He works over at the Info Desk in the Student Union and he knows just about everything going on in that whole big building. But, despite his jammed schedule, he's agreed to check back in on Lamont and Emmy. 

Because Joe is busy, Lamont and Emmy are busy.  Meaning they mostly communicate with furtive text messages. They keep in touch, they plan, they date, they flirt.



Thanks to Joe, we get to drop back in, via text.




Stay tuned, for more twists and turns in the text-y saga of Lamont and Emmy.



DAY ONE - Homecoming Week 2012

Good morning, Seawolves, and Happy Monday!

This week is going to be phenomenal. It's filled to bustin' with free food, comedy, the 19th A Cappella Festivella (can you believe that?!), pep rallies, hip hop with the Massive Monkees, the best dance of the year, UAA hockey and MORE.

In fact, for the first time in UAA history, you can attend the UAA Nations Cultural Extravaganza, a parade of the many cultures attending UAA, just a little window into how cosmopolitan Anchorage, Alaska truly is! This event takes place in the Student Union from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday. Watch for photos of this later today.

We don't want you to miss out on any of it. So watch this blog for a head's up on all that is happening each day of UAA's 2012 Homecoming Week.

We also have some awesome bloggers out there who will fill you in on their Homecoming experiences. Please welcome:

New, stepping up from the Concert Board:
  • Audriana Pleas
  • Tracy Stewart
  • Sofia Fouquet
Returning to the UAA blogosphere from their excellent tenure on the 2012 UAA Life Hacks blog are:
  • Theresa Cho
  • Alejandra Buitrago

And, last but never least, from the land of wistful fiction, comes Joe Selmont. As you may recall, he chronicled the ups and downs of Lamont and Emmy their first few weeks of school over there on the Life Hacks blog. It all culminated in a pretty sweet kiss, so what happens to the two amors with all the excitement of Homecoming Week?  You'll have to read this blog to find out!

OK, so what not to miss today, Monday, Oct. 8, Day 1 for Homecoming:

FREE FOOD, three times a day today.
Catch breakfast at the Student Union 8:30- 10 a.m., thanks to the UAA Black Student Union.
Snag some sugar at one of two Afternoon Desserts, something new this year!
  • 2-3 p.m. Student Union, thank you Greek Council!
  • 2:15-3:30 p.m. Rasmuson Hall, thank you UAA Career Services Center!
More reports as the day unfolds.

OH, hot tip: Wear green and gold, and you'll get stuff. More when we know more ;-).