Welcome Back Students

As I pack up every last piece of clothing, my furniture, and make sure every utility for my apartment will be turned on, friends and family often ask about my feelings for the upcoming school year. While many assume I would be dissappointed to return to Ann Arbor and the classwork, I find myself excited for the opportunity to return to the experience of a lifetime.

Not only does Ann Arbor and the University offer incredible academics, but they also offer a vibrant city life, a beautiful campus, and incredible athletic teams and facilities. Though I come from a rural country town, Ann Arbor has become like a second home to me. It houses many of the things I'm passionate about including my education, my favorite team, and more importantly, many of my close friends.

For those of you who haven't been around Ann Arbor during late August and early September, move-in and Welcome Week is one of the most exciting times of the year for students. This is not only the first time many students walk around campus, but also the first time many students get to see their friends after roughly 4 months of separation. Often, these reuniting students spend much "quality time" together to start the school year which often includes the night scene of campus and enjoying the opening football game of the season.

The first home game of the season is always distinct, but much more for students since it is the only game of the season students and the campus can enjoy without the stress of classes and homework. With classes beginning on September 6th, (though many professors seem to ignore this date!) students often become absorbed in the academic life and long for the stress-free time period at the beginning of the year.

This is perhaps the biggest reason that returning to school is so exciting for many students. A "stress-free" reunion with friends, campus, and our football team creates a perfect atmosphere for fun and personal enjoyment. So although my life is sure to become much more stressful in the coming weeks, for now I'm looking forward to my move-in like most of the students, with a sense of foreboding and excitement. We know what stress and challenges are to come in the months ahead, but can't help but be excited for the fun and enjoyment of welcome week and the game against Western on September 3rd.

For those of you also returning to school, good luck and Go Blue!

AD Announces College Gameday Location

Well, the announcement everybody's been excited to hear came out today. Though fans and the media knew College Gameday, an ESPN broadcast, would be appearing on Michigan's campus for the game against Notre Dame, commonly referred to as Under the Lights, an exact location had yet to be named.

The official announcement, here, stated that the broadcast will take place on Ingalls Mall on the Central Campus. For those of you unfamiliar with campus, this is located right by the "Diag" which is considered the center of campus. Here's a link to the Google Map location of Ingalls Mall.

The location was recently used by SportsNation when they broadcast from Ann Arbor in the fall of 2010. The site features a scenic view of campus and stables such as Burton Tower (the Bell

Tower), the Michigan League (first woman's dorm on campus), the Graduate Library, Angell Hall, and Rackham.

For those of you planning on attending this broadcast, or simply viewing from home, make sure to check out the scenery (not just the fans haha) because you are sure to get some beautiful views of central campus. Many people often forget about the university's academic and scenic values because of its intense national athletic presence.

For more information on the game and the events leading up to the face off with Notre Dame, click here:

Under The Lights

Smoking Ban Hits Michigan Campus

If Wolverine nation didn't think Nebraska's entrance into the Big Ten today was relevant to their lives, they should have no doubt at the relevance of the University of Michigan's new campus smoking ban. Today marked the beginning of a campus-wide ban on smoking.

As a non-smoker, this ban has little actual impact on my life, but many have pointed to it as an infringement on personal liberties, which should impact all citizens. Though I'm not going to go into the political aspects of the ban, I would like to point out what is considered to be a major flaw; no enforcement method. In an e-mail to students, Mary Sue Coleman even admitted that the ban functions through "voluntary compliance" from students and faculty.

This could pose a problem because there is no incentive for smokers to avoid "lighting up" on campus since there are no penalties for their actions. However, I'm not sure this is the purpose of the campus ban on smoking.

With the University of Michigan's intense devotion to health and well-being, especially considering that the University has its own hospital and health system, having any endorsement of smoking seems hypocritical. With that in mind, this ban seems to be just more of a public relations move to come out and state "we are against smoking and its harmful health effects," which I think is something most people can get behind.

Regardless of the motive, I'm excited that Michigan is willing to push topics that may be controversial, but are good for the students' and faculty's health status. So next time you're near campus, remember to avoid "lighting up" or you may start getting dirty looks.

It's Great to Be A Michigan Wolverine and follow me on Twitter here:

Tom