Sex Sells (Safe Sex That Is!)

Free food? Check. Music? Check. Games? Check.Over 4,000 free condoms? Check!

What event could this campus possibly hold that has all these things in common, you ask? This would be what is known as the SEX CARNIVAL! A way to bring students together for fun, and sexual heath education, the Sex carnival looks to help Maine's sexually active population safe from the spread of STD's, as well as educate and entertain in a non threatening environment. This event will be held in the Stewart Quad on April 5th, from 2-5pm. Many student organizations will be in attendance, as well as Safe Campus, Peer Ed, ADEP, and more. I feel this is a good step for U-Maine to take in order to keep the population safe and educated. Hopefully a good time is had by all who attend! Here is some good information about STD's and the protection condoms offer: Condom Safety Information.

SOX Olympics

Coming soon to the Somerset and Oxford complex, is a decathlon (well almost) of events that will test the will, determination, and sheer guts of its participants. What is speak of is the SOX Olympics! This nine night event will test multiple disciplines of resident students. Each floor will be represented against the staff of the SOX Complex in these Olympics. Some events include Debate, Eating, Wiffle Ball and although gross, discerning the flavor of condoms... I know its random and really gross, but yes, its happening. The past Olympic champion SOX Staff looks to repeat, but anything can happen. Over the 9 nights, the contestants will battle, and on the final night, one person will remain SOX Olympics Champion! Good Luck to all who enter!

Texas Hold'em

On April 18th, 2009, the U-Maine Women's Ice Hockey Team will be holding a poker tournament at the Alfond Arena that will see 100 students duke it out on the felt tables, bluffing their ways to the top of the rankings trying to win the 1,000 dollar prize for the winner. The buy in for the tournament is $60, and the top five finishers will receive prizes. There will be a free buffet put on for the contestants sponsored by Acme Pizza Company. Being that I consider myself a quasi-pro poker player after watching a good portion of lets say an hour of an ESPN World Poker Tour show, I would like to through in my insights about Texas Hold'em. This game is played as such: Each play is dealt 2 cards, this is followed by a round of betting or folding, then the "flop" or three dealer dealt cards come. This is followed by another round of bets, and the "turn" card. More Betting ensues, and then the "river" card is turned. one final round of betting occurs, and then the players show their hands (their cards, not the ones attached to their arms!". Finally, the winner of the hand receives the "pot", also known as the money in the middle of the table gathered from the hand's bets. I hope I have given you all you need to know to enter the tournament! good luck, and remember me when you win!

Soak up the Sun!

Today, while walking back from class, upon entering the area surrounding the hilltop Quad, I was welcomed by a barrage of frenzied students who, eager to get out of their rooms, flocked to the Quad to play a variety of games. I noticed people doing several things, which included but are not limited to: Playing catch (baseball), Playing catch (football), Something with a rugby ball which I am totally unfamiliar with a name for, Some Frisbee tossing, a few people sitting out on the benches soaking up some pleasant early spring UV Rays, and a few ladies playing what I would call toss with lacrosse sticks and a lacrosse ball. I was totally refreshed to see people outside, and I was particularly happy to be able to comfortably walk to classes this afternoon in shorts and a t-shirt. I look forward to more fine weather to come, but I must remind people that I am not a weatherman, but I'm pretty sure we're not out of the good old Maine winter funk. I would gather that we get more snow before years end, but stay tuned!

Free Comedy Show

Friday, at 9pm, in the Memorial Union, there will be a free comedy show put on by the Campus Activities Board (CAB). The Maine Attraction series will present the comedy performance of Sabrina Jalees. The act will be held in the Maine dining room beginning at 9pm. Jalees is a Canadian Comedian who is from Toronto, and has had a large role in the Canadian comedy scene. Jalee's most recent CD is titled, If You Don't Like Me, Your Probably Racist. I think that her style of comedy will be very effective here at the University, and I want to remind people to try and show up early for CAB's "Best Seat in the House" raffle, which is free, and the winner receives complementary front seat spots on a couch, and has snacks provided. Its always a good time when CAB puts on an event, so look for this to be a knee slapping good time!

Assassins

This coming Sunday, The SOX complex will be invaded with Assassins. This is not a notice of danger, but an invitation to participate in a popular game across college campuses. The game is a strategical standoff in which people are given "targets" to assassinate. The list of names will continually narrow until only one assassin is left standing. This game may sound dangerous, and one would assume residents would be dropping like flies dead to the ground, but the weapon of choice is not deadly. These assassins use the everyday spoon as their weapon of choice. the rules are quite simple and go as follows:

Rules of Engagement
1. You will receive your first target at midnight on Sunday the 29th.
2. You must tag your target with a plastic spoon to eliminate them.
3. When you eliminate your target, you gain their target.
4. When you eliminate your target you must also notify Ryan Dawes and Ben Cox on first class.
5. If you are eliminated you are out of the game. (single elimination)
6. Safe zones are classrooms, bathrooms, your personal room, Res-life sponsored events (including the SOX Olympics).
7. Last person standing will be the winner of a sweet prize.
8. Any contested issues will be decided by Ryan or Ben.
9. Treachery, deceit and facebook stalking are recommended.

I was thinking that this game would be difficult to understand at first, but in some way, my thought process has this game sorted out. Right now as I type this, I'm doing ninja rolls and James Bond moves assassinating people left and right. I think that this event will be fun for all who enter it. Good luck to everyone, and see you with my next post soon!

Ben Folds

On April 28th, the Collins Center for the Arts will be rocking out to the cool jams of Ben Folds! Folds is a popular American singer/songwriter who is known for his great abilities on the piano. Folds is a former member of Ben Folds Five, and as of late, an acclaimed solo performer. Folds is very popular on college campuses, and although some have little or no clue who he is here at Maine, many will likely be pleased that they went to the concert. Ben Folds has 7 albums, with another yet to be released this year.Most people would recognize Ben Folds's most popular hit, Rockin' the Suburbs, which was released on the album of the same name in 2001. The song also appeared on the Billboard top 100 songs that year. I look forward to seeing this concert and I cannot wait until Folds Rocks the Suburb of Orono Maine!!!

Bob Marley

Hold onto your seats, because on April 11th, Maine funny man Bob Marley will be coming to the University of Maine! With the purchase of a $5 ticket, you will be admitted for a comedy show like no other. Hailing from the great state of Maine, Marley uses home grown humor, playing on some of the funny quirks that Mainer's have. Although Bob is a Maine born and raised comedian, he has approximately 20 DVDs and Cd's, and also acted in the ever popular film, Boondock Saints. Bob Marley is a Maine favorite, and has been featured on Comedy Central. I personally cannot wait until the 11th, and will surely be at the Collins Center for the arts that night! Hope to see you there!

Get Defunkified!

Today, in my FirstClass email, I received an advertisement for an event planned for March 21st called "Get Defunkified". This is an event put on for random student fun from what I can gather. The event features free food, A live performance by a steel drum band, street luge, and much more as the email flyer states. I think the event looks like a good time, and that there should be a lot of student participation. The event is being put on to promote a good time with plenty of fun things, although they have yet to be named. I think this event should be fun for everyone who attends, and a good way for student cooped up in their rooms all winter to get out and have some fun!

Beat Introduction

My beat for this class is campus activities. My beat is not really limited to anything specific, so I can cover anything that students are doing or attending on campus. I tend to focus more on things that are overlooked, such as events hosted in the dorms, and sometimes bigger events as well. My beat has many opportunities for growth and this allows me a lot of room to pick and choose stories I feel include more students on campus. This beat can have many different stories, which could range from dorm activities, to big concerts or sporting events hosted here on campus. With this beat, I hope to inform of some of the events that some did not know were happening here, or in some instances, give more information about an event people attended. Thanks, and look for more posts about what's happening around campus soon!