Thursday, May 10, 2012

The Year in Review


Amanda Laborio, Marketing Intern

We have seen a lot of milestones throughout the 2011-2012 academic year and here is a brief refresher on what some of those highlights were! 

August

            August brought new change to our campus community. It marked the beginning of President Capilouto’s first year as President of the University. In addition, Phi Mu made its debut on our campus this fall. While some things were changing, even more classic UK traditions carried on, including K-Week. Bigger and better than ever, K-Crew outdid themselves this year with more events, free food and free t-shirts than before. The Study participated in several of these events, introducing our prize wheel at Campus Ruckus and the Hubbub at William T. Young library. We loved getting to know so many new students and handing out lots of free goodies!

September
            September brought with it the start of our official football season. The Study celebrated this by hosting a tailgate for our home game against Louisville on September 17th.  While the outcome of the game could have been better we still enjoyed cheering on the Cats and grilling out some yummy food.
In national news, September marked the beginning of the Occupy Wall Street movement, making “We are the 99%,” one of the most talked about taglines of the year.  

October
Fall fun was abundant this October with lots of seasonal activities taking place on and off of campus.  Keeneland welcomed students from universities around the state with another exciting College Scholarship Day. Big Blue Madness was once again a popular attraction for UK students and fans from across the world. In case that wasn’t enough of a Calipari fix for one month, there was also a Calipari Corn Maze running in October. For students needing to let loose after midterms, October also brought the excitement of Beaux Arts Fall Ball and of course, Halloween.
In national news, the passing of Steve Jobs made October a difficult month for those in the technology industry and the many people who have become addicted to the Apple products brought to us by Jobs.

November
For many students, the highlight of November was watching the football team take on Tennessee over Thanksgiving weekend at Commonwealth. The Cats won, 10-7, and fans rushed the field in celebration. Earlier in the month, Homecoming weekend gave students plenty of reason to celebrate. The annual Homecoming parade was held in downtown Lexington and provided quite a show. During halftime of the football game the following Saturday the Homecoming King and Queen titles were presented to Micah Fielden and Mary Ellen Wimberly. The football Cats went on to win the Homecoming game against Ole Miss, 30-13.

December
            Students spent the majority of December studying for finals and celebrating the holidays at home, but as always The Study found a way to add some excitement to the last few weeks of classes.  We held a drawing for an iPad for students who filled out our peer tutoring survey and Kelsey Gill was the lucky winner. Important things were happening around campus as well, with UK College of Fine Arts Open Studio, which was a show and sale of student work. UK Theatre presented Romeo and Juliet, which was sold out for several showings. December also brought with it a Commencement Ceremony, which was held in Memorial Coliseum.

January
            January brought with is K-Week 2, which proved to be almost as much fun as the August version. During this week, we at The Study hosted “Dough Not” Avoid The Study offering students free donuts and breakfast goodies. We also hosted a study snack event during peer tutoring hours so that students could munch while getting their homework done. In terms of campus news, our cheerleading team brought home their 19th national championship in January. Go Cats!

February
            February was a fun filled month for UK Students. Our UK Women’s basketball team brought home the SEC title. Also, the Greeks joined forces to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation by competing in the annual Greek Sing competition. Several famous faces made appearances in Lexington, with Seth Myers making a visit to campus and both Drake and Miranda Lambert performed at Rupp. (Not in the same concert.) Our Student Government Association facilitated student participation in the Rally for Higher Education, held in Frankfort during February.
In national news, the world was shocked and saddened by the passing of Whitney Houston in February.

March
            In March, The Study was very pleased to welcome President Capilouto for a visit. Our staff loved getting to know the President better and sharing with him what we are accomplishing.
            Campus life was buzzing in March. Student government elections were held for the 2012-2013 academic year and Stephen Bilas and Mary Katherine Kington were elected to the President and Vice-President positions. Early in the month the 24-hour dance marathon, DanceBlue, was held to raise money for the Golden Matrix Fund at the UK hospital. The marathon was able to raise $834,424.57 for the fund, despite being cut to 12 hours due to inclement weather. The extreme weather taking place at the time included a tornado that struck West Liberty and caused severe damage.
Around Lexington a couple of changes took place in March. First off, Graeter’s returned! The ice cream shop reopened with a location on Euclid Avenue. Nearby a new deli opened, McAllister’s, and both places have become frequent destinations for students looking to chow down.
March also brought with it the annual excitement of March Madness, but more on that next month...

April
#8, need I say more? The Men’s Basketball team brought home the 8th National Title after beating Kansas in the championship game. Whether you watched the game in New Orleans or on campus, it was an exciting time to be a UK student and fan.
Also in April, the Student Government Association organized the first Social Media Week on campus. The week was full of panels and events aimed at increasing student’s understanding of the expanding presence of social media in our lives, including in the job search. The students of the College of Design once again hosted the Beaux Arts Ball and students poured in wearing all kinds of unique costumes.
In addition, Keeneland opened for the Spring Meet in April, much to student’s delight.

May
            As finals week winded down, May brought with it a few beloved Kentucky traditions. Both the Oaks and the Kentucky Derby excited horse racing fans across the Commonwealth. Those who were smart enough to bet on Believe You Can and I’ll Have Another we’re even more excited than most.
            For more than 4,000 students, May brought even more reason to celebrate as they joined the UK alumni family. On May 6, UK’s Commencement ceremonies conferred 988 graduate degrees, 457 professional degrees, and 2,710 undergraduate degrees.

It has certainly been a fun-filled year for the University of Kentucky and here at The Study we are looking forward to an even better time in the 2012-2013 academic year. 

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