The 2011 UMass Sport Management Career Fair is in 3 days! The Sport Career Fair and the McCormack Panel Series will be a huge opportunity for UMass Sport Management students.  This is what I love about being in my major and being part of SOM. They help stimulate professional growth by not only having professionals come in to speak to the classes but they bring in some of the best in the industry to hire UMass Students. This Sports Career Fair is a rare opportunity to communicate and network with a diverse collection of highly acclaimed professionals from a variety of occupations within the sports industry. Whether you’re simply looking to improve your social skills or you’re prepared to interview and look for employment, the Career Fair is an invaluable experience that can help students of every background progress in a highly competitive industry.

It has been a tradition that the graduating class leaves something behind to mark the the beginning of their support of the university as alumni dates back to 1917. With that being said, Seniors What do you want the legacy of the Class of 2012 to be?  Although we will soon be alumni and not students, the Senior Campaign 2012 works to ensure that we will not be forgotten! Therefore, it is important to vote on on this monumental occasion and voice what you want our legacy to be.  Visit the UMass webpage at http://www.umass.edu/seniorcampaign to your selection and vote. We will be voting on the following choices:

1. Class of 2012 Alumni/Memorial Walkway
The Alumni/Memorial Walk will begin at the Fine Arts Center and extend along the Campus Pond, beautifying this area. The 2012 Class of 2012 class gift will go towards beginning this project by extending the plaza from the back side of the FAC and in front of the Isle of View Bridge. A foundation stone inscribed with “Class of 2012″ will begin the path, which will be lined with many of the existing memorials and markers currently scattered across campus. It will also serve as a highly visible, physical manifestation of student and alumni support of UMass Amherst.

3. Class of 2012 Get Moving UMass Development Fund
Get Moving UMass (GMU) is a campus-wide initiative focused on revolutionizing UMass’ approach to healthy living. GMU’s goal is to become a permanent symbol of health, wellness, activity and balance for the campus community and our vision is to create a culture of life-long, healthy living. The Class of 2012 Senior Class Gift will be used to highlight the inaugural class and as the official sponsor of the program. GMU will erect permanent pillars around campus with information about healthy living and walking distances to and from popular spots on campus.

To find out which option is chosen as the gift to be left behind by the 2012 class. Join in on senior Night at the UPub (formally known as the Grad lounge) on Wednesday, November 16 at 9pm where the winner will be announced. Also, there will be a free gift given out to the first 100 seniors!

I recently interviewed Hung who has had a positive and enjoyable experience here at UMass.  This is what Hung had to say about his experience here at UMass.

“You might assume that with such a big campus, it is tough to satisfy the demands of every student. However, I will respectfully challenge this assumption and tell you that the UMass campus is a wonderful place and every student will find their place on campus. There are hundreds of students organization and abundant of clubs that will definitely spark your interest. If you are a nerd and all ever want to do is study, then the 25-storey library is opened 24 hours a day, 5 days a week for you. If you are like me, constantly hungry and always wanting to eat, then the 4 dining cafeterias will serve you sensational cuisines from all over the world. Or if you’re a freshman and you want to prevent the freshman 15, then the newly-built recreation center will be your home. At the end of the day, UMass is a great place and the friends that you make at UMass will be life-long friends. All the classes that I’ve took at UMass are great classes with fun professors ( tip: you must check the rating for your professor at ratemyprofessor.com first before picking a class. I can tell you all the things that I love about UMass and the list will be miles long. Let’s end it here and give you the opportunity to experience all the positive things at UMass.

The most important thing to keep in mind as a freshman is knowing what you want to do. This will allow you to choose classes based on your major and give you plenty of time to prepare for that major. There are people that don’t have a clue about their career and major until they became a junior, and by then, it was too late. As a freshman, I knew that I wanted to become an accountant. Moreover, I wanted to be a forensic accountant. This will give me the opportunity to work with the FBI and CIA to investigate financial frauds, tax invasion, and money laundering. Unfortunately, I haven’t reached my goal yet as I am currently a working slave in the public accounting sector. The good thing is, I am working hard to achieve that goal.

I’ve grown a lot over the years at UMass. I’ve matured and learned about what importance of life. The life at UMass taught me how to be an independent and responsible person. I think one of the most important skills I learned while at UMass is how to deal with people. After attending UMass for 4 years and met hundreds and hundreds of people, I learned the correct ways to interact with people at different levels. I learned how and where to speak in a professional manner as well as solving problems that are beneficial to me and the people around me. Most importantly, these skill sets will follow me for the rest of my life and I’m glad UMass made a huge impact on it. ”

It is really important to learn from current UMass Students. They help you learn about the ins and outs on campus as well as provide all readers with multiple views of the life here on campus!

I lived on campus in Southwest, freshman and sophomore year.  And made
choice to move off campus my junior and senior year. I am more partial
to living off campus than on campus. A lot of the reasons had to deal
with the rules and regulations you had to abide by, having to bother
with security, having to sign in friends past a certain time, quiet
hours, and sometimes the obnoxious people that have no consideration
for other people.  A perk of living on campus is you’re close to a
cooked meal (DCs) and you’re close to campus. Don’t get me wrong, some
off campus housing is a lot closer to campus that some of the dorms.
I also am not a huge fan of living on campus because you’ll never know
if you’ll be able to get to live on campus the following year because
housing is only guaranteed for freshman so you may be forced to find a
place and the room selection process can sometimes be a pain and
sometimes you may have to end up rooming with a random person instead
of your friend.

UMass Dorm Room

I really like living off campus because of the freedom. You do what
you want, come and go as you please, throw parties, do whatever you
want because it’s your place. It is a lot cheaper too. You find a
place with friends and the rent is cheaper than what it would be
living in the dorms. But the downside to living off campus is having
to pay utilities, cable, dealing with the snow plow, garbage pickup,
and landlords. Sometimes landlords can be a pain.  Also, if you can’t
find a house close to campus you better have a car and a lot of cash
to pay for parking or get familiar with the bus routes. Living off
campus for me has been a lot of fun, it’s a sense of independence
because you have your own place.

Most of you know I am a Sport Management and Marketing major.  I grew up playing sports my whole life. Being shuffled from one team sport to another and playing sports year round, it only seem fitting that I studied what I knew my whole life. Unfortunately, playing sports does not mean you understand the sport industry at all.  Fortunately, my classes all gave me the foundation to understanding the sport industry. From classes such as Intro to Sport, Sport Law, History of Sport, and Sport Marketing, you learn the different aspect of sport and they each give you the key foundation to build upon.

I love the Experimental Learning classes (ELC) the Sport Management department provides to their students.  Qualified candidates create, market, and manage a live sporting event. Last fall I worked with the Winter Dew Tour where I had an amazing opportunity in developing local and regional partnerships with businesses and schools, develop marketing campaigns, and work the operations at the actual event up in Vermont! I also chose the Sport Management program because it is one of the most prestigious in the nation.  We have renowned professors that have worked and still continue to work in the industry. Not to mention we also have the best alumni that give back by coming into classrooms to talk about
their experience and always let current undergraduates in on the loop on current opportunities in the field!

Starting this Wednesday at 10am the Ski N Board club be hosting their 44th annual Ski Sale! This is located in the Student Union Ballroom!This sale is the club’s largest fundraiser, and allows them to accomplish their mission of providing students with the highest quality recreational and social opportunities within the ski and snowboard industry.

During the sale, the Ballroom will be filled with over six million dollars of merchandise from the local shops: Competitive Edge, Theory, Ski-In and Fat-Trax. These vendors offer great deals, discounting their merchandise by 40-70%. Merchandise available will include skis, snowboards, boots, bindings, goggles, winter apparel, soft goods, movies and everything you will need for 2011-2012 winter season. All major ski and snowboard manufacturers will be represented, including, but not limited to Burton, Salomon, Atomic, Volant, Rome, Smith, Oakley, Head, Ride, Volcom, Airblaster, The Northface and Columbia.

For every $25 spent at the sale, the attendee will receive one raffle ticket into the 2011 Great Give-Away with over $2,000 in prizes!!!! Let’s get real. We’re poor college students so any sale is great. You get amazing prices here so gear up for the season!

Sale Hours:
Nov 9th 11am- 8pm TGR MOVIE PREMIERE 8PM!!!!
Nov 10th 11am-8pm
Nov 11th 11am-7pm VETERANS DAY NO SCHOOL!!!

Started in 2006, UDance is a twelve-hour dance marathon to raise money and awareness for BayState Children’s Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts through Children’s Miracle Network. The money donated goes straight to BayState in order to enhance the facility, purchase equipment, and pay for the healthcare professionals who take care of the children.

The 6th annual UMass UDance will be located at the Student Union Ballroom on Sunday, November 20th from 10am-8pm. There will be a lot of dancing, free give aways, and a good time!  Rumor has it that ReadyU will be there to help the dancers freshen up after dancing! ReadyU will be there helping students prep and be polished as they dance the night away.
Stylist will be there revamping hair and make up from Cover Girl! There will be a ton of free samples there from Pantene, Old Spice, Cover Girl Mascara, and free raffles!

Get ready for UDance and ReadyU! It’s going to be a great time for all!

This year we have homecoming court. We have five lovely ladies running for homecoming queen but there’s one girl that I’d like to talk about, Brooke Myones. She is currently one of the candidates for this years homecoming queen. I believe that she truly deserves the crown this year as UMass’s first homecoming queen. Why? This is because Brooke embodies all of the characteristics that make her the perfect person to represent the student body for queen. She not only excels academically but socially. She has not only been involved with different events and RSOs on campus but has created her own. And its amazing that even with everything she does she still has time for friends and family. She is a truly an amazing person.  I’m not preaching this because I am her best friend. I am not. I’ve gotten to know her more and more through my boyfriend and other mutual friends these past two years. Even when I barely knew her she would always smile and say hi. If she wasn’t in a rush to do everything that she has going on, she would even stick around to have a conversation with you. I don’t know her that well, but what  I know is that she has my vote and she should have yours too.

This is what Brooke had to say:

To me, a Homecoming Queen is someone all students can relate to. She should be involved in many aspects of student life, and take pride in all that UMass and its students have to offer. I feel that I embody these characteristics and would serve as an excellent representation of our student body. I am a senior Accounting and Legal Studies double major, and love getting involved with different groups and initiatives on campus. I have always had a passion for dance, but realized early on that there was no place on campus for people like me to just have fun and let loose in a friendly, non-competitive environment. This led me to create the UMass Dance Club, which people from all different groups and backgrounds now attend and enjoy every week. I have also served as Treasurer for the Student Government Association, and have helped raise thousands of dollars for breast cancer research through Relay for Life and other charitable events.

My multiple teaching assistant positions have also allowed me to get to know fellow students from different hometowns, majors and age groups. The relationships I have formed here at UMass will stay with me forever, and I cannot be prouder to say I come from this school. To be Homecoming Queen would be an incredible honor, and I would be humbled to receive the title.

To vote click here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5WNKTTQ

VOTE BROOKE FOR HOMECOMING QUEEN.

This year the University Programming Council is bringing back the UMass Homecoming Day Parade! It will be on November 5th from 2-5pm starting at Mullins Center.  Show your school spirit and rally around UMass Football prior to kick-off against Villanova at 3:30!

The UPC will be hosting a TAILGATE on the James’ Lawn of Southwest on the corner of Mass. Ave and University drive. Of course there will be FOOD, GAMES, & MUSIC!

Beginning at the Mullins Center, all the way down the McGuirk Stadium, RSO’s, Student Run Businesses, Academic Departments, Local Amherst Establishments, and more, will be lining up to showing off their Maroon Pride and enthusiasm for what they are a part of here at UMass! Make sure you’re there to show off your pride!