Gopher Blog

Where has the time gone?

Each file, the arrival of November always surprises me. And now my mind can’t help but drift to thoughts of Thanksgiving turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, and much-needed time spent with family and friends.

Since my mind does tend to wander at this time of year, I take the first week in November to re-focus and do some end-of-the-semester planning. Think of it as an “end-of-the-semester casserole” (or as people in Minnesota would call it, “a hotdish!”):

Trisha’s End-of-the-Semester Recipe:

• A scoopful of papers
• A pinch of presentations
• A dash of group projects
• A double-dose of daily reading and preparation for classes

Instructions:
Check each class’s syllabus and put corresponding dates in Gopher Guide (an awesome assignment planner available through the University Bookstore). Mix thoroughly and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and leave on your desk to cool. Based on other dates in social calendar, plan accordingly. Dish goes well with writing utensils, textbooks, and a computer.

There you have it—an overview of my academic schedule for rest of the semester! Okay…so maybe that was a bit of a stretch. :) But, taking the time to review what I need to do to finish the semester successfully is always beneficial and can help to put things in perspective for finals week in December.

Plus, the last two months of the year always prove to be an exciting time around campus. The last few games of the Gopher football season will play out and Gopher hockey and basketball will be in full swing. And my sorority has a fun week planned where we will be raising money for our national philanthropy organizations (more on that later!).

Hope you’ve all had a great start to November! I can already smell the pumpkin pie…

~ Trisha

 

Halloween—Gopher style!

Hi Gopher Blog fans!

I spent my Halloween at the Gopher Game. Check out some pictures from the night below…

A couple of friends show off their Gopher pride with this pumpkin carving of Goldy Gopher!



At the football game, many fans came dressed in costume.



I especially enjoyed Spencer (below) who dressed as the popular social networking Web site, Facebook.



Here’s a picture of my sister and her friends donning Goldy masks. The masks were free to each student in the student section.



For Halloween, the band danced to “Thriller,” the Michael Jackson hit. Their dance was one of my favorite moments of the game!

Check out this video of the band's performance of "Thriller" below:

Hope everyone had a safe and spooky Halloween!

~ Trisha

Football is Back on Campus!

It’s official. Gopher football is finally back home. This is what life on a Big 10 campus is all about.

Traveling to the Stadium
I went to the first game with a group of my sorority sisters. The stadium is a quick, 10-minute walk from our chapter house. To walk out my door and arrive at the stadium just a few minutes later is so exciting after years of trekking downtown to the Metrodome.

Along the way, we passed groups of students donning maroon and gold on their way to the stadium. We sang the school song, The Minnesota Rouser, a couple of times before we reached the stadium. There was music in the air and the smell of food being grilled in the tailgating lots. Campus was bubbling with excitement!

Even waiting in line to get into the stadium was a thrilling experience. Every student was wearing gold and eagerly anticipating the student gate opening for the first time.

After hearing President Robert Bruininks and Athletic Director Joel Maturi share their excitement for the new stadium, the gates opened and the sea of U of M students flowed into the stadium, running up the stairs to catch a first glimpse of the field. The sight was absolutely breathtaking!

Pre-game Tradition
About 30 minutes before halftime, the Pride of Minnesota (also known as the Minnesota Marching Band), took the field in pre-game tradition. Here at the U of M, the band is loved just as much as football team and they are fantastic! I have a couple of friends who march in the band so I was cheering for them as they took their first steps onto their field.

It’s also tradition to sing The Minnesota Rouser once before kickoff. (You can listen to it here). Singing the Rouser in the stadium for the first time has undoubtedly become one of my favorite college memories. The entire Golden Gopher community joined together to welcome the football team in a giant collective voice.

At the end of the Rouser, we spell out the word “Minnesota.” The booming sound of every person in the stadium cheering each letter made me stop singing and just look around in awe. It seemed like the excitement and volume could be heard from miles away. The Gopher Nation is loud and proud and ready to cheer our team to victory!

Gopher Spirit at it’s Finest
The inaugural game marked the start of a new era for all Gopher fans. The atmosphere in the crowd was simply electric! Everyone was cheering for the team or laughing at our mascot, Goldy. Check out some pictures from the first game below (click on photo for a bigger picture):

Here’s me with some of my friends. I’m second from the right.

Goldy doing what he does best—getting the crowd pumped up!

Take a look at the student section! It’s like a sea of maroon and gold.

This picture represents a renewed community as the football players took a victory lap around the field and supporters rushed to shake their hands.

The home field advantage is here to stay. The rest of the season is bound to be filled with excitement, laughs, cheers, and great memories!

~ Trisha

Homecoming 2009

One of the biggest events of each fall semester is homecoming! Homecoming celebrations have been a tradition here since 1914 and this year the official week begins on October 4th and continues through October 10th. And this year, with football returning to campus in the TCF Bank Stadium, homecoming celebrations will be even better. Check out a schedule of events here and stay tuned for more homecoming updates!  

~ Trisha

Back in the Swing of Things

The start of senior year

The past two weeks have been filled with a whirlwind of activity!

With two weeks into the school year already gone, I’m still adjusting to life as a senior and my last year as a U of M student. If you remember, I am a member of a sorority on campus, Kappa Alpha Theta, and most of my time in the past two weeks has been dedicated to formal recruitment. Formal recruitment is the process that allows college women to join a sorority.

Recruitment was a ton of hard work and loads of fun! Becoming Greek was one way that I found my niche on campus, and it led me to some great opportunities. I’m excited to share my experiences with all of the new members that have recently joined my Theta chapter.

My class schedule is really nice this semester; I have two classes everyday besides Wednesday when I have three. So far my classes seem fun yet challenging. I’m really enjoying my senior-level “capstone” course in my journalism and mass communications major, because I have the chance to work with a group of students on a real-world project. Plus, the instructors for this course are two seasoned public relations professionals—an incredible opportunity for networking and learning from some of the area’s top business people!

Last, but certainly not least, Gopher football returned to campus last weekend! I was at the TCF Bank Stadium almost three hours before kickoff. The game and experience is one of my best memories from college so far. Plus, we won!

Stay tuned… next week I’ll post some pictures from formal recruitment and my first football game at TCF Bank Stadium!

~ Trisha

The Great Minnesota Get Together

What’s better than food on a stick?

On Tuesday, I had a chance to enjoy one of my favorite activities of the year… a trip to the Minnesota State Fair! I can’t really pinpoint what makes the fair one of my favorite times of year. Maybe it’s tradition—the fair has been around for over 150 years. Or maybe it’s the plethora of farm animals from all over the state—the biggest pig in the state tipped the scale at over 1,000 pounds. When you combine tradition, farm animals, and the widest variety of foods on a stick in once place, it’s bound to be a great time!

During my day, I made sure to stop by the University of Minnesota building. They had posters for U of M enthusiasts, sports memorabilia, an exhibit about the TCF Bank Stadium, plus smaller exhibits showcasing what U of M students are discovering as well as learning in classrooms.

The TCF Bank Stadium Exhibit


The Golden Gopher Memorabilia Wall


The “Driven to Discover” Wall


Here’s a picture of me at the stadium exhibit (with ice cream and souvenir cup in hand). I don’t think the “Ultimate Homecoming” slogan can truly express how excited our community is for football to return back to campus.




Here’s a photo of one of my friends who participated in the Department of Surgery’s exhibit featuring medical technology. He was able to try out the same device that medical students use for making stitches during surgery practice.


After meandering through different exhibits and enjoying my favorite fair delicacies—a breakfast crepe, cotton candy, a foot-long hot dog, and Nitro ice cream (ice cream frozen with liquid nitrogen on site)—I ended the day with my fair tradition: all-you-can-drink milk and Sweet Martha’s Cookies!





All in all, it was a fun-filled day and the perfect way to end the summer. Stay tuned—fall semester classes started this week at the U of M, and I’m embarking on my senior year!

~ Trisha