Halftime Show

This past weekend was friends and family weekend here at WNE. My parents came up to visit and to see me dance with the dance team in the halftime show at the football game. I have never been on any kind of team before and also have never done any type of big performance in front of a large crowd, so I was excited to have them up to see it. We’ve been working on the dance for about a month, so we were all really excited to finally show off our efforts. The Golden Bears had a really good game and the crowd was excited, and when we started walking out on the field during halftime, everyone was screaming the names of all the girls on my team. We got into an ‘X’ formation and did a kick line and everyone was cheering. At the end, we laid down in the shape of ‘WNE’ and the crowd was going crazy!

It felt good to perform again, and since I have never really been a part of a team, I really enjoyed working with everyone to make the dance look good and getting to feel proud once we got applauded. It was also great to see my parents again and spend the day with them. They got to see my first performance on the WNE dance team which made me feel proud and I was really glad that they came to support me. After we went out to dinner and caught up on everything since I last saw them. Being away from my parents for a long time really makes me appreciate them more and makes it that much better when I finally see them.

Fall Semester Keeps on Rolling

The past two weeks have been so busy but have absolutely flown by! Columbus Day weekend, my boyfriend and I went apple picking in Monson. It was sweltering outside that day and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Despite the obvious tornado damage the orchard underwent, we were still able to get a good amount of apples—you just had to know where to look. Luckily for the students here at WNE, the school also gives you Tuesday off as a travel day. So we only had a three day week. The best part was that I had no labs because of the shortened week!

This weekend is going to be even crazier. This afternoon, I am going with a group of friends to McCray’s farm for a haunted tour. I have never been before but I hope the trip to South Hadley is worth it. Also, this weekend is friends and family weekend on campus. My sister is supposed to visit me so that should be fun. I also look forward to seeing the much-talked-about “bed races” that are happening on Saturday. On the down side, I have two exams next week and a Biology Lab report and Honors paper to write. I’m still working hard to balance my studies and having fun. But I just got back my midterm report and its looking pretty good! I’ll be checking back in in a few weeks!

Best,
Brandi

Racing out of Bed

A lot of great things have been going on recently. I went home for the first time in forever and got to see all of my family and friends that I had not seen since late July. Senior year has been going great with Senate, Midnight Madness, and the Sports Management Association. I planned an outing for the entire senate to the Rolling Acres corn maze in Southampton. The planning for Midnight Madness is going well and I can’t believe that it is only fourteen days away!!! This weekend is Family and Friends weekend and there are a ton of great events run by our Campus Activities Board and the Residence Hall Association. RHA is putting on my favorite event which is the bed race. Bed Race is an opportunity for each of the residence halls on campus to build a soap box derby type bed. The actual races are across the parking lot near the campus post office. It should be a lot of fun and it is something that students look forward to each year!

It is hard to believe that I will be picking my college classes for the final time on November 4th. It seems like just yesterday that I was arriving on campus for my first day of college. My last hope is that all of you students are having a great year and that you are having success with your college search process.

Will

Falling for WNE

We’re in the middle of October, right around the corner from winter. But it is still autumn, and it is so beautiful outside. Even though this is were the semester picks up and your workload increases dramatically, there is something about this time of year that I love. The leaves start to change, the temperature cools down, and the holiday season is about to start. I always get this certain feeling that I can’t describe; it kind of makes me feel warm and calm. I think it’s the way everything looks; it is a nice stress reliever just sitting outside and enjoying the day. Being from California, we don’t really have four seasons, it just gets really hot and occasionally there are spurts of cold. This was the first time I have even gotten to experience four full seasons. This was the first time I enjoyed spring so much, having gone through a nasty winter. This is one of the benefits of going to school on the east coast, I just love walking around campus and looking at the trees, and the brick buildings give it an old school feeling. You would never think it, but this is one of the benefits of school. I love how these seasons are able to make you feel at ease when your work piles up and when there seems to be no end in sight. When you check out the picture of campus I took, I think you’ll understand why fall is the best time of year here at Western New England.

-The Kid from Cali
Jay.Thall

Making a Difference

As a lot of people will say, there is always something going on during the weekend at Western New England. This past weekend was no different. This past weekend was Make a Difference Weekend. You may be wondering what that would entail. Basically, the community service group on campus, CARE (Community Action Rewards Everyone), sets up community service projects all over the Springfield area. This was my second year participating in the event, and the second time I went to the Children’s Study Home in Springfield. The children that live at this home are no different than you and me, but they are there because they were neglected or abused back home. I got to spend time with 12 children between the ages of 6 to 12 for three hours. To them, this was the highlight of the day. Together, we got to paint pumpkins, play Pictionary, and the students even taught us some games to play. Seeing the kids smile and have a great time meant a lot to me.

You may be wondering why I signed up for this trip, or why I love community service. I enjoy giving back to the community, and CARE has those opportunities for me. Some events that CARE puts on throughout the year are Casino Night at the Holyoke Veterans Home, Halloween Dance at St. Luke’s, and my favorite, Wheelchair Soccer, just to name a few. Community service is a big part of who I am, and Western New England does a great job letting me help my new community around me.

-Jason

Columbus Day Surprise

This past weekend I went home for Columbus Day weekend. Since one of my best friends from home also goes to WNE, we drive home together and she wasn’t planning on going home until Saturday afternoon. My parents were really upset since they only had a few days to spend with me and my mom kept insisting that I “put Alyssa on the phone!” Despite the plan to return home on Saturday, Alyssa walked into my room a few minutes past five o’clock on Friday afternoon and said to pack fast because we were leaving at five thirty. I finished packing up my stuff and we were ready to go by 5:33, and I couldn’t have been more excited. I wanted to surprise my parents and friends so I didn’t tell anyone I was coming home except my best friend. When my dad called while I was on the highway (stuck in traffic), I simply told him that I was hanging out with the few people that were still at school in my dorm room enjoying a quiet Friday afternoon, and that I would see him tomorrow. I knew they were both really disappointed, which tempted me to tell them I was really stuck in traffic a few miles from the Mass Pike, but it was just too good of a surprise to ruin it. After being stuck in a long and painful line of traffic, completing a drive that normally takes two hours in three and a half we finally made it back to Carver, Ma! I had my best friend pick me up from Alyssa’s house and she drove me home secretively. She parked down my street so my parents wouldn’t notice me walking up to the door, and I crept across the street and up the drive way so my dog wouldn’t bark. I flew up the front stairs and opened the door to my house (I was praying my parents were home because I didn’t bring my house key to school with me) , and I saw my mom standing at the top of the stairs and she started crying tears of joy because I haven’t seen her since move in day.

After the initial shock of me being home my mom demanded I go see my other friends who were together Friday night. They all thought I was hanging out waiting to Skype them until the moment I walked in the door. It took them a few seconds to realize that it was really me standing in my friend’s bedroom door, but once it clicked in their minds they attacked me with hugs and screams. I had missed them so much over the last few weeks and I needed to be with them after a long stretch of six weeks without them. Saturday night we had what we call a family dinner and we ate, laughed and caught up with each other which is what I really needed. On Sunday we had a fire and watched a scary movie and laughed some more, talking about our awkward middle school days. You never really notice how much you love your friends from home until you’re away from them for a long time, and I have really grown to appreciate them because I can’t be with them all the time. Here’s a few pictures from Friday and Saturday!

Erica.

A New Definition of Home

Hey everyone! It’s been quite an interesting month and a half, to say the least! I’m writing this before the last class I have today. Right after that I’m leaving to head home for fall break! As I said in my last blog, it’s still hard to believe that it’s only been a month and a half, while at the same time it’s hard to believe its already been a month and a half. The friends I have here now, it feels like I’ve known some of them forever. It's weird how quickly it happens. Living with them, being with them all the time, you become close with them a lot quicker than you think. A typical weekend with my group of friends is sleep (catching up on what we missed all week because of studying!), and then just hanging out. We go out shopping occasionally when we have someone who wants to drive. A lot of the time, we take advantage of the large collection of DVDs D’Amour Library has for students to rent, and will all just relax in mine and Brandi’s room, watching movies, eating snacks, and just having a good time. We’ve already made a lot of good memories in the short time we’ve been here.

This weekend is going to be different, though. As I mentioned above, this weekend is fall break, so most of us are heading back to our respective homes for the long weekend. When I left home to come to school, it was weird leaving my home, my friends and my family. But now that I’m heading home for about four or five days, it seems weird leaving here. I’ve grown accustomed to the routine here, to being with my friends here. I’m beyond excited to have time at home, hang out with my family, and see my best friend of forever for the first time in a month and a half, but it’s weird…and the fact that it’s weird is weird! College quickly becomes your new normal, however hard you think it will be. Its odd to think hat just last year, I was a senior thinking about applying to college, and now here I am – already halfway through a semester! (In fact, I’ve already taken a few tests – and did well on them! Remember that studying is in fact very helpful).

I’ve got to run off to class, talk to you guys in a few weeks!

-Jen

Fall is Finally Here!

I hope you are all enjoying the fall weather as much as I am. Back home, it was a tradition to go apple picking as soon as October came around and drink hot apple cider and eat apple cider donuts. So, since I was not home to go apple picking with my family, my friends and I decided to go apple picking ourselves. We went to Monson, MA which is only a short 15 minute drive from WNE. My friends and I had an amazing time and we started to feel like a family because we have been doing so much together as one group.

One of the things I love about Western New England is that there is so much to do on campus, but there is also so much to do off campus as well. My friends and I love to take weekend adventures and go to a nearby town to check out a new restaurant and right now we’re looking forward to Fright Fest at Six Flags New England, which is also only a short 15 minute drive. Western New England definitely feels like home to me and with so much going on around campus and off campus there is never a dull moment! I hope everyone has a great long weekend and enjoys the fall weather and maybe even does some apple picking. See you all in two weeks!

-Liz J

Fall is Approaching!

Fall is Approaching!

So many exciting things have been happening around campus! Classes and activities are really starting to kick up now. In my classes, expectations are being raised and exams are becoming more frequent. However, the friendly professors here help you rise to these academic challenges. I don’t believe that falling behind will be an issue. Last night, we had a high-energy Freshman Focus meeting that was supposed to inspire us to get involved on campus. The speaker was a very motivational woman and made me feel confident about the fact that I am already involved in some activities on campus. Aside from blogging, I am a member of the Freshman Council and write for our school newspaper “The Westerner.” I am loosely involved in the Campus Ministry, Gay/Straight Alliance, and the Yearbook but I hope to get more involved as the year goes on and my time management skills improve.
Last weekend, we had a horror movie marathon in our dorm where we watched The Ring, The Ring Two, and Sybil. You get these movies and tons of others right from the campus library. Luckily, I had plenty of snacks because the previous weekend, my sister-in-law stopped by for a day and brought me some provisions (i.e. chocolate chip cookies, easymac, ramen, and sparkly letters to put above my bed). Unfortunately, I am not returning home this long weekend, but I hope to go apple picking and get some photos of the beautiful Fall foliage. I haven’t been apple picking since I was very little and since Fall is my favorite season, I’d really love to go again.
In this blog, I have posted some pictures of a typical weeknight that includes study sessions in my dorm. Not as thrilling as the weekends but it’s always fun to do homework with friends. Enjoy!


-Brandi

Senior Update

Hey Everyone,


Since I last blogged nothing too serious has come up, no new positions just the same three that are taking up most of my life. I took my first test of the year last week and had a couple of presentations, both this week and last week. In the upcoming weeks I have a few tests that I am not looking forward to.
Events that happened since I last talked you: I was involved with homecoming and got to drive a golf cart from the welcome center to the Post Office parking lot. Over the weekend, I saw lots of alumni that I had not seen in many years. This past weekend was my last first open house. It was a great time and my tour went really well and I got to train another student during my tour; however, the best part of the day was obviously the Western New England cookies. Some important upcoming events include: going home for the weekend! It will be first time back to Long Island since early August. I am very excited to get to sleep late once again. Other than that, it is just a usual year in the classroom. This year has been my favorite year from a social standpoint.

-Will