More Halloween Fun at UAF!

Hello Fiendish Fiends and Ghoulish Ghouls,

Yes indeed, another Halloween has come and gone. It was a fun one here at UAF. As you may have noticed, we thrilled the World, we did the great cover up, and for me . . . I dressed as the Riddler and made Homestar Runner pumpkins. It's the little things about the holidays at UAF that make it so much fun. Like the fact that there are so many things to do, and so many opportunities out there. Whatever you're into, you can express it at UAF, and that's really important when you're considering a college, eh? UAF has traditions, too, which are a lot like UAF holidays!

Holidays are always fun, and we always look forward to the next one. For Thanksgiving, the UAF Outdoor Adventures Office is going hiking in the mountains and they're going to cook a turkey on a cabin cook stove. Perfect! That's so Alaskan!

Below I've included some of the photos I took and that were taken of me and by me during the halloween festivities. Enjoy, and I'll be back to posting soon!

Sincerely,
Joe Alloway
UAF Admissions Counselor
Alumnus '07, '08

My wife Erin and I on the stair, posing in our costumes. Erin is Lulu from FF X, and I'm . . . The Riddler!
A group photo, Erin and our neighbors at the Halloween dance.

Senor Cardgage and a Duck. Truly, the greatest of pumpkins.
These are the pumpkins out neighbors did. I think they're both a little on the creepy side . . .

10th annual leadership conference!

This last weekend was the leadership conference put in by the L.I.V.E office (leadership involvement and volunteer experience)! It was my first conference attended and the first conference I helped plan. When I was hired as the leadership assistant last spring I was told I would have to plan a conference, yea.. right.
But it happened! And it went off basically without a hitch. We had about 12 different workshops, which participants picked 3 to attend. Our keynote speaker was amazing. We were really exited to have him up from Colorado and I think his speech spoke to everyone at the conference. It was a great reminder on why we are leaders and what it means to have character and integrity.
The food was great, the company was entertaining, the information was valuable and I'm ready to go for next year! October! Mark your calenders!

Alaska Nanook Pep Band!

Hey Band Geeks!
I love playing in the Alaska Nanook Pep Band!  Let me give you the run down.  In Fairbanks, we lack a football team, so unfortunately we don't have a marching band. But, we do have mens hockey, which is another awesome sport.  So, that's who we cheer on!  We also play for our basketball teams (both men and women) and our ladies volleyball team! Hopefully, in the future, we'll play for our ladies hockey team (they are just a club right now, but they want to be a NCAA team eventually)  as well!

In the past, we've had a smaller group, but this year, we have 46 members! Who doesn't love being loud, playing music that everyone recognizes and having tons of school spirit?!  I certainly do.  Here's a picture to prove our spirit!

even the mascot wants to play trumpet!

We've done some upgrades to the uniform this year too!

We went from this.... in the lovely gold shirts with nothing on the back

 To the awesome blue shirts with a upgraded front logo and the Alaska Nanooks A on the back!! 

Our director is a pretty awesome grad student from the UAF Music Department, Hannah Johnston.

So, if you play a pep band instrument and are coming to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, come out and play with us!  Or cheer for us if you don't play anything. 

Mercedes
tenor saxes for life! :)

24 Hour Comic day in Fairbanks!

Hey True Believers,
If you didn't know, today is the fourth 24 hour comic day across the world. Fairbanks is right there in the mix, with our third year in this event. Contestants gather to draw their own 24 page comic in a 24 hour period (daunting, for even the quickest artist!). Local artists and students are right mixing it up, including UAF Art professor Jamie Smith (and artist of Freeze Frame and Nuggets daily comic strips). Yet another example of Fairbanks folks having a blast in the arctic north. If you're in Fairbanks, check it out at the Comic Shop, or find a location near you!
Excelsior!
Joe

Starvation Gulch at UAF!

Yo yo yo!
This last weekend was a hot one in the arctic north. I'm referring, of course to UAF's 85th annual Starvation Gulch, our fall celebratatory bonfire. For the event, clubs and organizations around campus gather wood to build gi-normous, flammable structures for the sole purpose of burning them down. Check out this video on youtube to see more Starvation Gulch action. This is just another example of the folks here at UAF having a blast, and having fun outside, even when it is cold. Enjoy!
Joe

Top to Bottom: The view of the fires from the top of a neighboring hill; A life size replica flaming fire truck; Me and Chancellor Brian Rogers with the fires in the background (seen in fire gear, because tradition dictates that UAF's leader must light the fires).

Tunnel Man Emerges!

Hey Team,
I just wanted to share an awesome youtube video with everyone: Tunnel Man Emerges! Tunnel Man is a super hero who lives in Ice Tunnels, and teaches children about Ice Wedges and Contraction Cracks in Alaska. Tunnel Man is played by Kenji Yoshikawa, a Research Associate Professor for the Institute of Northern Engineering. I thought the video was awesome, fun, and educational. It was produced as part of UAF's participation in the International Polar Year (IPY). The Anchorage Daily News also did a story on Tunnel Man. Finally, check out the video!

Thanks for reading, more excitment in the North to come! Joe

The Great Outdoors in Fairbanks

Hey Future and Current Nanooks,
About a week ago I decided to go climbing and hiking out at Angel Rocks about 50 miles out of Fairbanks. The weather was beautiful, and it was a great hike. Afterwords, I went out to the Chena Hot Springs Resort and went for a soak in the natural hot spring. Since I was there, I also went to the Aurora Ice Museum, which is the world's largest year round ice facility. Of course, being from Alaska, ice is nothing new to me, but it was fun to see all the carvings in one of the hottest months of the year.

One of the great things about living in Fairbanks and attending UAF is that you are IN Alaska. If you have any interest in the great outdoors, this is a pretty great place. We highly encourage our students to get out an enjoy it with our wide array of intramural sports and our Outdoor Adventure Office. If you're coming up for Orientation, be sure to check out the Wilderness Welcome!

Thanks for reading, and excelsior!
Joe
PS: Photos coming, they're on my camera at home.