Students competing in the Cardboard Boat Races held at Hancock Beach.

From tug of war to cardboard boat races, from broomball, to hockey, to football, Homecoming 2009 was a huge success! Homecoming events took place every evening this past week and included activities such as Take on a Husky Night, a community service project, Powder Puff Football, and Homecoming Games. Friday, preparation for Saturday’s big Homecoming game began with the Homecoming Parade that ran through the Michigan Tech campus, followed by a pep rally that included performances from the Michigan Tech dance team and pep band. Friday night came to a victorious end as Michigan Tech hockey won the season opener 5-3 against Northern Michigan University. A crowd of 3,409 people showed up at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena to watch the Huskies make their third straight win over their rivals, the Northern Wildcats.

Our Michigan Tech Huskies play football, rain or shine, OR SNOW!

Much to student’s dismay after a lovely sunny afternoon on Friday we woke up to snow on Saturday morning! A mix of rain and snow, coupled with a wind advisory couldn’t keep our Michigan Tech Husky fans away from the 2009 Homecoming Game. Although there was very little accumulation, there was enough snow on the ground for a group of students to build a small snowman before they headed up to the football game. Michigan Tech’s Homecoming football game took place on Sherman Field at 1pm on Saturday against the Findlay Oilers. It was a tough game given the state of the weather and the Huskies were defeated by the Oilers 14-5. At half time the Homecoming 2009 King and Queen were announced along with the winners of the week’s Homecoming Games. Our Michigan Tech Huskies return to play at Sherman Field on Saturday, Ocotober 24 at 1pm against Saginaw Valley State University.

Community Service

The puppy poodles I walked at the Copper Country Humane Society on Saturday.

Michigan Tech offers many great opportunities for students to take part in a variety of community service activities. Make A Difference Day is one of the most widely participated in community service events at Michigan Tech. Last year over 450 students took part in the day of volunteering. Make A Difference Day was created by USA WEEKEND Magazine and is recognized as a national day of service. Make A Difference Day takes place the fourth Saturday of every October, so this year it will be Saturday, October 24th. For this year’s Make A Difference Day interested students and student organizations will be working on various community service projects throughout the Keweenaw Peninsula.

In addition, to Make A Difference Day, Michigan Tech Student Activities Office coordinates other community service activities. Service Saturdays, 60 Minutes of Service, Semester Collections and Alternative Spring Break are great ways for students to get involved with community service. Michigan Tech also has several student organizations whose sole purpose is organizing service projects in the local community. Students may also choose to organize their own service projects by dog walking or cat cuddling at the Copper Country Humane Society, chopping wood with Little-Brothers Friends of the Elderly, or being a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters. Here at Michigan Tech and the surrounding area the options really are limitless when it comes to volunteering and community service.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please feel free to email me. Check back for next week’s article, I will be writing about the Michigan Tech tradition of SafeHouse.