|
Sept. 16, 2025
Welcome to Week 4! Beware of Zombies!Ìý
Can you believe it? We are already almost a quarter of the way through the whole semester!
You are doing amazing! Keep up the great work! You have got this!
I hope and trust that you all had a wonderful weekend! Did you attend the Hoedown
Throwdown last Friday and/or Starvation Gulch this past Saturday? It was awesome!
There were over 220 students who attended the Hoedown Throwdown and Starvation Gulch
was 2,000 strong. I hope you made it! Even better, if you happened to attend the food
truck rally earlier that day and then watched UAF’s Nanook Volleyball team dominate
Rockhurst University’s team, and THEN joined Starvation Gulch, you had a particularly
amazing Saturday!
On Monday, the campus was alive with Humans vs. Zombies and I was fortunate enough
to be invited to help out with an escort mission for the humans. It turns out that
a scientist needed an escort from the Murie Building to the Wood Center and I was
going to be that scientist.
I arrived a few minutes early to the Murie lobby. Waiting for my escort to show up,
I started to get a little concerned when about ten ‘zombies’ appeared and started
their stakeout. They were well-organized and strategic in their planning, covering
all exits to the building and maintaining constant communication. I started to think
this may be harder than it sounded. Then, however, a (Nerf blaster-armed) mob of about
75 ‘humans’ appeared from behind the museum. The humans rolled deep; the zombies were
overwhelmed. Soon, I was underway. I appreciate every ‘human’ who worked hard to transport
me to Wood Center safely –Ìýmission accomplished. Kudos and thank you for your teamwork and dedication. It was
a ton of fun. My hat is also off to the zombies who played hard and gave it their
all in the face of overwhelming opposition.
Why am I sharing this with you? Because it made me think about the dangers we all
face and the secret to our success. Safety lies in numbers and in our collective,
mutually supportive efforts. On this journey, we call the fall 2025 semester, find
some friends and look after each other. Beware of distractions.
As we made our way across campus and down to the Wood Center, members of my escort
often yelled reminders to one another, ‘don’t run after them (the zombies), don’t
get distracted, stay focused’. That was good advice. Even if we’d had far fewer in
our escort party, that strategy would have worked. There will be plenty of distractions
in the coming weeks; be careful. Stay focused. Work together.
I don’t want to leave you thinking that the zombies are losers in this effort. They
are playing their own game, the long game, and they are also winning. I had a huge
escort, but I hear that 11 humans were ‘infected’ during the mission. The zombie horde
grows. There are lessons to be learned here as well. Work together, stay focused;
you are always gaining strength. Patience and hard work will eventually triumph.
My respect to all of you for working hard toward success, both in games and in your
studies. Build alliances, build connections, build friendships. Give it your best
and stick together!
Things to do:
There has been a change in registration dates for Spring 2026. I encourage you to
make an appointment with their advisors NOW for appointments beginning on Oct. 20.
Students can log into Nanook Navigator to find their advisors and book appointments.
is this week on the Troth Yeddha’ campus. The excitement will run through Saturday,
Sept. 20. Humans vs. Zombies is a moderated game of tag played with Nerf blasters. Players started
the week as humans while trying to survive the growing zombie hoard. This event is
open to all students and will consist of different missions throughout the week as
the battle to survive the zombie hoard becomes more challenging. Will you survive
as a human or conquer as a zombie? Have fun, stick together, stay focused. Play safely
and be mindful of others.
Now that you are settled into the school routine, this is a great time to find your
fitness/wellness routine before winter settles in. Try out a group fitness class or even just a new piece of cardio equipment in the Student Rec Center. Explore the campus trails before the snow flies or set aside time to do some laps
at the Patty Pool.
Do you like to adventure off campus and into the mountains? Adding some Wilderness
Medicine training to skills is always a great idea and helps the resume. Outdoor Adventures
has a few wilderness medicine clinics this fall.
Looking to get off campus? Outdoor Adventures has some vacancies. Charley Dome Hike
and Soak (Oct. 11), Compeau Cabin Overnight (Oct. 25-26), Ice Climbing (choose from
Nov. 22 or 23). Trip details can be found HERE.
There is much more to do – many of those things can be found on .
As always, if you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback for me, please don’t
hesitate to send your thoughts my way. You can find me at obguthrie@alaska.edu.
Have a great fourth week! You’ve got this!
— Owen Guthrie, vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management
|
