Expect the Unexpected

Midnight Madness was this past Friday. It was really awesome and tons of fun…so I heard. Instead of attending, I went home this weekend to meet my biological older brother, Jordan, for the first time in 18 years. I am adopted and within the past 2 weeks, I have just started my search for my biological family. Long story short on how I found Jordan: Turns out he grew up (and still lives) down the street from my adopted brother’s wife and is very close with her family. So through these connections, I ended up finding Jordan and sent him a lengthy message on Facebook. He was absolutely stunned, but excited nonetheless. He started his search almost 2 years ago and was getting discouraged that no one was looking for him.
So a good friend of mine drove 2 hours out here to bring me home Friday. We drove to Jordan’s house Saturday afternoon and I finally met him as well as his adoptive family. Jordan, Brandon (my twin brother), and I spent the whole day together and it was the best feeling in the world. They also came for the ride back to WNE and got to see the University. Along with this blog, I have pictures of Jordan and I meeting and of both my brothers hanging out here. This is only the beginning because we still have at least 2 brothers (Jeremy and Benjamin) and a sister (Jerrica) to be found.
On a more academic note, classes are really picking up trying to make up the week we lost because of snowstorm damage. This weekend is going to be my busiest ever. I have a Biology Lab report, an honors paper, and Calculus homework to do along with studying for my Chemistry exam. But it will all be over soon. If I can just trek through this weekend, I will be rewarded with a much-needed Thanksgiving break!

Cheers!
Brandi

Only 16 Days Remain in the Fall Semester!!

Hey Everyone,

It has been a great last couple of weeks. After I got back from the snowstorm I had a big event, Midnight Madness which was pushed back because of “snowtober”. It was a great event! I felt like I ran around like a mad man all night, but I still enjoyed it because the seniors won for the second time. Last week before Thanksgiving I also planned a dinner for three of the larger organizations on campus: Campus Activities Board, Residence Hall Association, and Senate.

I am back from Thanksgiving break, I had a great time at home. Although my vacation was short, I am still excited to be back at school. This week will be crazy with work and a couple papers that I have due. There are only 16 days left in the semester and I am kind of freaking out because it means that I am that much closer to graduation! There is an open house this weekend so hopefully I will get to see you all there and hopefully you are all applying!!!!

Will Tomack

Thanking Western New England

It is hard to think that it is already Thanksgiving, and I am thankful for everything that Western New England University has offered me.

Where has the time gone? Even being a sophomore, it is hard to see the time pass me by like it is. I have seen so much going on at Western New England, and that’s just in the past three months! Recently the Men’s Soccer team played in the Division III NCAA Tournament hosted on our field. I have seen the football team have their best season ever. I got to witness beds being built and raced, and halls compete in Penny Wars. Midnight Madness has come and gone and now everyone is getting ready for finals that are coming up in just a few weeks.

It has been great to be back home for Thanksgiving, but I do miss all my friends that I have made back at WNE. Time just seems to fly by. I guess time flies when you are having fun, and I am definitely having fun here at WNE. There are so many things to do here that makes the college experience, even in the first semester, great. All you have to do is come and feel the atmosphere of the campus, even if it is just for one day. So finish filling out that application, and come spend a day at Western New England University!

See you on campus,
-Jason :)

Golden Start

Things are looking up for the Men’s Hockey team at Western New England University. After a few less than stellar seasons, this year is off to a great start. Working with the hockey team for my second consecutive season as the student manager, I notice a huge different in the talent and the attitude of the team. We expect to win, rather than hoping to. Thus far we carry a record of 4 wins and 2 losses. We have beaten some very good teams in Johnson & Whales University, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and powerhouse Manhattanville College. This marked the first time in our school’s history that these three teams have been beaten by WNE. The team has 4 seniors, 2 juniors, with the remainder of the roster composing of sophomores and freshman. This year it’s not just 4 or 5 upperclassmen that are producing; this year we have four lines of offensive firepower and three lines of great defense all backed by solid goaltending. Expect big things in the future for the WNE hockey team.

The Kid from Cali
-Jay Thall

Breaking for Thanksgiving

It's been a busy few weeks! Since we missed almost a full week because of the snow storm, everyone is trying to catch up on what they missed that week when classes were canceled. Midnight madness got pushed back to the 11th and it was a great time! I hung out with the dance team for the night and we counted the money we raised for penny wars, ate pizza, and got ready together. The energy level was electric and it made me happy to see that many people come to support their class on a Friday night. Right now I am preparing to leave for Thanksgiving break. I can't believe the holiday season is already here! This year has gone by so fast already it's crazy. I have picked my classes for next semester already and I'm already looking forward to taking new classes for the next half of the year! Over the break I'm looking forward to seeing my friends and family and eating a nice big home-cooked meal. I haven't seen my aunts, uncles, and cousins since i moved in to college, so I'm pretty excited to see all of them and let them know how college is going. My cousin and his new wife will be there as well, and I haven't seen them since they got married so that will also be a nice treat. Overall, I'm ready for this break so I can clear my head for a couple days before coming back to finish the semester strong, and seeing my friends and family is just the thing I need to keep me motivated.

Happy Holidays everyone, enjoy!

-Erica

Snowtober

Hey Everyone,

First of all, I hope that everyone is okay after the huge storm that hit New England. Hopefully, most of you have power restored. Here at WNE, the campus was hit pretty hard and all of the upperclassmen housing was without power until Tuesday morning. It was nice for some students because classes were cancelled all of last week which meant I got to go home. This was the most time off I've received due to weather in all of my time at WNE.

It was definitely nice to go home, but it is even nicer to be back at school. One event that was cancelled due to the storm was Midnight Madness. This was supposed to be on the 4th, but has been moved to the 11th. I will report on how it went in my next blog. I picked classes for the last time over the weekend and my spring schedule is awesome. I have no classes on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday.

All in all, it has been a crazy two weeks and I am glad to have survived snowtober. Finally, there is an open house this Sunday and I hope to see some of you there!!!!


Will Tomack

Nightmare Before Christmas?

My fall semester has been getting crazier and crazier! During that wild snowstorm, I got stuck at my boyfriend’s house in Hampden with no power and no heat. The next morning, we still couldn’t get back to school because a tree fell on his car! Halloween wasn’t even on my mind, it felt more like Christmas! When we finally got back to campus, we were pleased to find that Commonwealth still had power. Since we got Halloween off and I didn’t have anything better to do, I decided to dress up like a zombie for the day. I actually scared some people in the dining hall, unintentionally of course. Because yesterday was so mild, we went hiking… more like bushwhacking because all of the trails were covered in fallen trees. It was quite an adventure.
Now we have come to the end of what I like to call “Halloween Vacation 2011” and we still have the weekend to relax. I still have homework to do, but it’s not too daunting. I’m very excited that the snow is almost completely melted because I really would like to enjoy the rest of the fall!

Bye for now,
Brandi

Snow...in October??

This past Saturday, Western New England University experienced an atypical October snowstorm. This wasn’t your average snowstorm. WNE, as well as the multiple towns around the area lost power. Trees fell, power lines broke, and debris quickly carried. While hanging out with my friends, we engaged in multiple snowball fights. Being from Cali, it was the first time I have been in one, so it was a personal milestone. As you may already know, having no power isn’t fun. That means no light, no TV, and no computer. It is so hard not to be technology dependent these days but it was refreshing to just talk to my friends without distractions. The electrical company worked hard to get power back by early morning on Tuesday, so we weren’t stuck in the Stone Age for too long. The good thing about all this is we got a week off from school, so I went to my cousins in Boston for a little vacation. I hope this snowstorm isn’t a sign of an early winter.

The Kid from Cali.

Jay.Thall