Photo: stock.xchng

Head: Created by the carbonation that rises to the top, this area gathers the beer’s aroma.  Stick your nose close to it and breathe deep; it’ll give you a good idea of the beer’s character and the flavors that reside within.

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Bridget Wilson

To quote Kurt Russell in one of the best movies ever, “Great moments are born from great opportunity…that’s what you’ve earned here tonight.”

That’s what I’ve had in my five — yes, five years of college: great moments and great opportunities. Though it’s been a stressful five years, it’s been a really good five years. The only thing I regret is not taking in the little moments that make college great. For example, there is a strong possibility I will miss studying. Call me lame and nerdy, but I actually don’t mind going to the library and studying. Maybe I am just a creature of habit and I have become too used to my schedule that consisted of getting up on Saturdays and going to gym, going to the library (occasionally replaced by football games in the fall) and then spending all day Sunday at the gym and library.

After graduation, I will go to the gym — Lord willing — and then I will have to find something else to fill my day. Of course, maybe it’s not necessarily the studying I will miss so much as the shenanigans that usually took place when I studied with my friends. I even remember getting shushed in the library once for being too loud, which of course only made us laugh even more. Yeah, we were those obnoxious kids that you probably hated. Sorry about that.

But no study session was ever as good as when two of us snuck into a certain locked down apartment complex at six in the morning to get our other friend to sneak in some extra studying time before our last final last semester and later anxiously sitting in the parking lot of Qdoba waiting for it to open so we could get some nutrients to help us make it through that last final before winter break.

Oh, and Sonic. I can still eat at Sonic after graduation, but it will never be the same again. Late night Sonic runs were a staple for the longest time whether it was with my friends when we lived in the residence halls or in Pi Phi when my sisters and I were looking for a study break.

And football: football is my sport and I will never stop loving it, but attending football games will never be the same when I am not standing in the student section yelling “W-Y-O! FIRST DOWN” — well, you know the rest.

Speaking of sports, I never realized how much I would miss watching all the students gather in the Union to watch soccer on television. It’s a great feeling to see everyone cheering when their team scores as you casually make your way to class. It’s a huge part of college culture I never really thought about.

I think that’s what I’m really going to miss — the college culture. Football games, getting a beer with friends, movie nights with my friends that have been a tradition since we were freshmen, running into acquaintances from that club or class. Nothing will be the same after graduation. Not to say that I am not looking forward to moving on to the next step of my life. I am not going to be like Matthew McConaughey in “Dazed and Confused” and keep hanging around UW to relive the glory days, but I will miss everything.

As my friends and I move on from one another to graduate school, marriage or going overseas, I do wish I could recapture all the moments that made my college experience, but I am ready to move on. There is a great big world out there waiting for me to come find it and I know that the next step in my life will be just as exciting.

Just remember, “great moments…great opportunities.” So freshmen, sophomores, juniors, graduating seniors, and class of 2013, remember to take in the small moments like study sessions with friends, late night Wal-Mart trips and seeing Prexy’s turn green whenever — if ever — it stops snowing and freezing. These moments will go by faster than you think. Try not to take it for granted.

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Photo: Denise Caskey

Kentucky Fried Chicken had the right idea. Throw everything into a bowl and sell it for five bucks.
Unfortunately, the closest KFC is at least 45 miles from Laramie. Never fear. There is a way to get the delicious bowl of yummy goodness without wasting the gas to travel to Cheyenne.
It might take longer, but in the end it is so worth the extra wait. Trust me on this. I try all the recipes I put in this column and this is one is utter perfection. I don’t know if it is the lack of excess salt or the fact that I cooked it myself, but this is so much better than what KFC sells.
Everything in this recipe comes pre-made. All you have to do is heat it up and throw it together. I figured with finals next week, students would not have time for a recipe that required a lot of chopping and cutting and preparation time.

Chicken ‘n’ taters bowl
Serves 4 (if you wanted to share)

1 tub of Country Crock mashed potatoes (I used Garlic Mashed Potatoes and found them in the deli section)
1 bag of frozen corn (12 ounces)
1/2 of a 24 ounce bag of popcorn chicken
1/2 of a jar of Savory Chicken Homestyle Gravy
A sprinkling of shredded cheddar

Heat the mashed potatoes in their container according to the directions on the side. Pour them into a microwave safe dish (you will be heating everything together for a few minutes at the end.)
Pour the corn into a small microwave safe dish with a couple tablespoons of water and cook on high for 3 or 4 minutes. Drain the liquid and pour the corn over the mashed potatoes.
Place the chicken in a single layer on a plate and cook in the microwave for 4 to 5 minutes. Pile it on top of the corn and potatoes.
Use the dish you used for the corn and warm up the gravy. 2 minutes should be plenty of time. Pour that over the layers of chicken, corn and potatoes.
Put everything in the microwave and cook on high until heated through. It should take about 5 or 6 minutes. Sprinkle with a handful of shredded cheddar cheese, grab a fork and dig in.

I hope your microwave has got some good use this semester and you have tried one or two of the recipes I have presented. Good luck with finals and have a great summer.

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The candidates include Susan Frye, an English professor and director of the MA English program, Brent Pickett, associate dean of the Outreach School, and Anne Alexander, director of UW International Programs.

The candidates were selected by the University of Wyoming’s Office of Academic Affairs, a committee headed by the Dean of Education, Kay Persichitte.

The candidates participated in a public forum this week, which acted as their public interview.

“The idea behind this is to have a forum where people from around the university, as well as from around the state, can talk to the candidates for this outreach school position,” Alexander said.

Each candidate gave the public an idea of what their vision would be for the future of outreach education at the university.

Frye has a particular interest in distance education as she has taught courses in the program and has also developed a Master of Arts program in English for the Outreach School.

As an American Council on Education Fellow in the English Department, Frye recently spent a year at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif.  During her stay, she studied and shadowed members of its administration.

“While I’ve been there, I’ve studied a number of administrative issues, among them change management, budgeting, fundraising. And also internationalization, which was one of the reasons I wanted to go in the first place to Claremont is because they’re renowned for their internationalization and globalization efforts,” Frye said.

With her experience in distance teaching and the knowledge she has gained by traveling to different institutions, Frye feels as though she would be fully prepared to take on the position of the Dean of Outreach.

“Wouldn’t you know that Dean Maggi Murdock, whom I so much admire, is stepping down from this deanship just when I feel like I’ve learned the most I possibly could about distance education nationwide,” Frye said.

During her travels and studies, Frye became particularly interested in the use of “MOOCs” as a learning tool for outreach use at UW.  MOOCs are massive open online courses, which open up education to a broader audience and are taught by university professors.

“Anybody like me who wants to see as many people have as much access to education as possible, then this is perfect,” Frye said.

Alexander spoke yesterday at her forum titled “Meeteetse to Munich: Providing Education Without Borders for Wyoming.”

Those attending the forums received evaluation forms where they were asked about the candidate’s strengths and biggest challenges as well as whether they thought the candidate was acceptable for the position.

These forms, which will be handed in to Persichitte, will help the Outreach Dean Search Committee determine which candidate is best suited to be next year’s dean of outreach.

Pickett has had eight years of experience as Assistant Dean of Outreach. If chosen for the position, he plans to act on his vision of moving the Outreach School.

“There are two things at the heart of it. The first involves the full inclusion of the International Programs Office within the OS, advancing not only IPO’s mission, and international education more broadly, but also the pursuit of the opportunities this merger creates,” Pickett said. “The second is maximizing the benefits of the new revenue sharing structure the OS has with its academic partners.”

Alexander’s vision consists of working with new models to expand and improve distance education.

“I believe that the keys to successfully navigating the transitions ahead are flexibility, openness to innovation and the recognition that experimenting with new models and ways of thinking can lead to failure that may pave the road to success,” Alexander wrote in her application.

If selected, Alexander plans to provide the staff, administrators and faculty with the flexibility, support and resources they need to deliver Outreach programs to UW students.

“The idea of exploring new support and delivery modes in outreach and international education, continuing to provide the services that work, and helping to steer the new, expanded Outreach School is extremely exciting to me,” Alexander said.

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Except for teams such as the men’s and women’s track and field squads, who will continue their season well into May, no more Cowboy and Cowgirl athletes will step on their respective playing surface this year.

So now is the time to look back at the most memorable moments that shaped this year for the University of Wyoming athletic teams. There were extreme highs and extreme lows, but all have been talking points both locally and nationally.

Photo: Courtesy of UW Media Relations
Shaun Wick evades a Colorado State University player during the Border War game against the Rams at War Memorial Stadium on Nov. 3, 2012. The Cowboys earned the right to keep the bronze boot trophy for a fourth consecutive year with their win over CSU.

November 3, 2012: UW Football handles CSU

What is better than beating your biggest rival in your home stadium?

The Cowboys did just that in a 45-31 victory over the Rams in the 2012 Border War, which gave the Cowboys their fourth straight win over their bitter rivals.

Sophomore quarterback Brett Smith had a big game, with four touchdown passes and 235 yards passing. Also, sophomore corner back Blair Burns had a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown in an exciting performance by the Cowboys.

They were up 45-17 at one point in the fourth quarter, but CSU scored two touchdowns to make the score look respectable. But make no mistake; this was a dominant performance from the Cowboys, who probably cannot wait to try for a fifth straight Bronze Boot.

Photo: Elizabeth Holder
Cowboy Leonard Washington makes a layup in the Dec. 1, 2012 game against CU.

December 1, 2012: Cowboys basketball knocks off ranked opponent

Expectations were not all that high for the Cowboys coming into the season. But the team rattled off six-straight wins to start the season, and was looking to make it seven against the then 19th ranked Colorado Buffaloes.

The underdogs came through on the night, as UW gave CU its first loss of the season by a score of 76-69. Senior Leonard Washington scored 22 points and seven rebounds to lead the Cowboys to the upset.

They would carry that momentum all the way until a January 9 home-loss to the Boise State Broncos, and the season started to go downhill from that point. But Cowboys fans will remember that CU game for a while, and the chants of “overrated” that rained down on the Buffalo players that night.

December 30, 2012: Bar fight

A promising season was all but ruined when senior and second-leading scorer Luke Martinez was suspended from the team because of his role in a bar fight that also saw him charged with aggravated assault.

You would have to be living under a rock to not hear about the details of the incident, so I will not go into specifics. What I will say is that the loss of Martinez is just as memorable for the way it affected the Cowboys.

At the time of his suspension, the Pokes were sitting at 14-1, and national ranking was almost a reality. Then Martinez goes out, and with him goes the best three-point and free throw shooter on the roster. Key pieces gone, just like that.

The Cowboys would go on to lose 11 of their remaining 16 regular season games, destroying what could have been the best season in Cowboys basketball for decades.

Photo: Elizabeth Holder
Cowboys Leonard Washington and Luke Martinez watch as Derrious Gilmore attempts a free throw in the game against CU on Dec. 1, 2012.

The post Sports season moments analyzed appeared first on Branding Iron Online.

Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

As I am getting closer to graduation (one more semester after this), I am finding that there are not a lot of jobs out there looking for Religious Studies Majors.

Shocking, I know.

I am often asked by people, “Why are you spending thousands of dollars on studying religion? Do you want to become a minister? Or go to grad school?”

No. I can’t afford graduate school (plus I am ready to get out of school for a while). And I don’t want to be a minister.

Though I have kept my beliefs fairly secret throughout my writing for the Branding Iron, I guess maybe it’s time to let you all know what my beliefs are. After all, I can’t ask you all to share your beliefs when I am not doing the same. So here they are: my beliefs.

I believe fishing is the most relaxing experience a person can have, baseball is the greatest sport that has ever been created, the Seattle Mariners will eventually win the World Series, and there is always time to sit down and have a beer with friends.

I believe in the equality of women, ethnicities and cultures. I believe in helping those who cannot help themselves. I think that America has the potential to be the greatest country in the world, but needs improvement. I believe in the power of voting in America. I typically vote republican, but democrats and other political parties sometimes make more sense to me.

I voted in favor of gay marriage legislation in my home state of Washington, but against the marijuana bill. I am a strong supporter of separation of church and state, but will defend any preacher’s right to say what he wants outside of the union. And I believe that the Constitution is the greatest thing that this country has ever established.

I believe an education is the greatest self-investment a person can make. I believe if there is a Heaven on Earth, it’s Wyoming. I believe the people here are the most friendly and helpful in the world; but can be narrow minded. And I believe the impulse decision I made four years ago to go to the University of Wyoming, without ever being in this state before, was the best decision I have made.

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A thought occurs: since Army of Darkness is older than Gangnam Style, a lot of people probably haven’t seen it. And unlike beloved classics like Full Metal Jacket or Pretty Woman, you’re not to blame if you haven’t seen it. Army of Darkness is that special kind of classic; the kind that comes with a small, devoted fanbase and a front-row seat in the K-Mart five dollar bin. It’s a cult classic, meaning that it’s worshipped by a group of crazy people that dwell in the dark places of the Earth (such as basements) and forms the holy gospel from which they follow. So basically nerds, but don’t let that discourage you. Nerds know their stuff, that’s why they’re nerds. Army of Darkness is no exception. It was released in 1992 and is the third (and so far final) chapter in Sam Raimi’s original Evil Dead trilogy. The trilogy is a bit wonky, but let’s take a walk through it anyway.

The Evil Dead is a straightforward horror movie; teenagers in a cabin, evil presence, angry molesting tree, the works. At the end of it all, when Ash Williams (the central character of the trilogy played by Bruce “Mighty Chin” Campbell) stand alones, the evil presence overtakes him and the film ends. Evil Dead II is still horror-ish, but it blends some comedy into the mix and begins with a “recap” of the original. Ash and his girlfriend Linda are vacationing at a cabin when they uncover the Necronomicon and unleash an ancient evil. Linda is possessed, Ash kills her, his hand is possessed, Ash cuts is off, and the recap ends with the Evil Force running into Ash. You’ll notice that this is some fishy continuity, but everything makes sense because shut up. A new group of walking targets come to the cabin, mistake Ash for a crazy person, and then lock him up. They get taken out one by one, until only Ash is left. At the end of the film, Mighty Chin is sucked through a big scary portal into the Middle Ages where he kills one Deadite (the monsters of the Evil Dead franchise) and is proclaimed Super-king Bignuts, much to his dismay.

Army of Darkness is a horror-comedy action-adventure fantasy film and picks up at the end of Evil Dead II when Ash is sucked through the big scary portal. Upon arrival, he is enslaved by some Middle Ages jerks and sentenced to death. After some shenanigans with a hole in the ground, Ash frees himself, but is still stuck in the Middle Ages. Luckily his car, gun, and chainsaw were all transported with him and as the old saying goes, “In the land of the sword, the guy with the shotgun is king.” So Ash beats up the Middle Ages, takes the bitch over, and strikes a deal; he retrieves the Necronomicon, which will save everyone in this time period from Deadites, and they’ll use it to send him back to the present. So he sets off on a slapstick-heavy quest to retrieve the book of the dead and return home to his low-paying job at S-Mart. That’s as far as I’ll go into the movie. Bu now it should be needless to say that Army of Darkness is a great watch and I want you to watch it.

Photo: stock.xchng

The effects are dated, but they aren’t terrible. They have a kind of “vintage” feel and are quite charming. The humor is heavy on the slapstick, but this some wonderful slapstick at play. You can tell Bruce Campbell is having a blast onscreen and his energy leaks out of every pore. Something else the film is famous for is its one-liners; nearly everything Ash Williams says is one-liner gold. There’s a lot to love and only a little to be upset about. To see what a truly great and wonderfully silly movie looks like, check out Army of Darkness sometime this summer.

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The Beer Song, the unofficial school song of the University of Wyoming, does not summarize the drinking habits of students during finals week. In heaven there may be beer but only because we are drinking a lot less of it down here.

“I would say alcohol consumption at the bar decreases during finals week because people are home studying,” Levi, bartender at the Ranger, said. “Package liquor sale may increase because people are staying home rather than going to the bar and partying all night.”

In a brief study done on campus, males showed that they decreased their alcohol consumption as finals week approached while women were split evenly between increasing their consumption and decreasing their intake. Many women admitted that it should be decreasing rather than increasing during this time.

However, when many consumers reach for a beer, they don’t know the actual difference between light and dark.

Color

The most obvious difference between light and dark beers is the coloration of the brews but its color does not indicate the percent alcohol in the beverage. The color of the beer comes from the roast of the grain: it has very little to do with alcohol content.

As a rule of thumb, light beers tend to be lighter on the calories. These beers tend to be consumed more quickly because they are less filling than darker, heavier beer and go down more easily. Dark beers are more dense than their light counterpart and are sipping beer because of their heavy consistency and more potent flavor.

Flavor

Light beers tend to have a stronger flavor of hops than darker beverages. The misconception that beers heavy in hops are bitter also sways consumer decision. However, other ingredients, such as malted barley, the quality of its water and yeast, in the beverage influence the flavor. Dark beers tend to be heavier on malts, which incorporate hints of chocolate, coffee and toffee into the drink so they tend to be sweeter than the light brews.

“I don’t like hoppy tasting beer,” Mercedes Powers, a senior in animal science said, “It is beer, not a bunny rabbit. Beer should taste like beer.”

In a straw poll on campus, women cited that that they preferred light beer 95 percent of the time. The trend continued with men who only enjoyed a dark brew 12 percent of the time.

Seasonality of Drink 

With the changing of the weather from winter to slightly less winter in Wyoming, the beer preference and marketing strategy also changes. Light beers are marketed more heavily during the warm season and have additional flavors of citrus and fruit. Dark beers are known as a cold weather beer and heavy stouts and porters are marketed to consumers in the fall through winter.

Whatever shade of beer you may consume, please drink responsibly. If you have a few too many, SafeRide can be contacted at 766-7433.

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Images like the one above run rampant across the wild untamed lands of the Internet for the enjoyment of the plugged in masses. However, the Internet provides some more useful functions such as online education. Online learning has a few benefits over traditional classroom education, including promoting a more inclusive dialogue among participating students.

The Internet is for cat videos and memes, but it also can be a place to educate the world. Online classes, be they classes that have a professor lecturing over Skype or the phone or completely online, are the future of education.

The fact of the matter is that it is easier to reach a large number of potential students all over the world, and for less cost over the Internet than in person. The debate now centers on if and when online classes will replace traditional classrooms and if they should. Online classes are not something to fear and will let more students than ever before receive a high level of education.

Good teachers will always be needed and there will always be a place for teachers who make classes interesting and find ways to engage students. Now the only difference is instead of teaching to a lecture hall they may teach in front of a screen. With the Internet good teachers will receive good reviews and the sub par professors will receive motivation to up their game.  It will be harder to cruise to retirement on tenure if no one wants to take a professor’s class.

I took my first online class this semester and for me it has been a positive experience. It takes significantly less time to do the homework for my online class and I don’t have to get to wake up early to attend. The discussions work out well for planning out thoughtful comments instead having a discussion dominated by the same people in a class. It is easy to turn in assignments and see your grade instead of going into office hours and having that awkward moment when you ask what your grade is.

There is nothing that can replace the look a professor gives you when they want you to speak up or how a single question can change the rest of class. Human interactions shouldn’t go away and people shouldn’t just stay in a little box hooked up to a feeding tube and screen.

Physical school will always be needed but with online classes, education will be more accessible than ever before. Now people who have to work during the day, cannot attend a physical school or need extra time can all benefit thanks to online classes. The debate will likely continue as to if online credits should lead to a real degree if it is easy to simply Google the answers. The world of education is changing and online classes should be embraced as a new way to help educate large populations who have been previously denied higher education.

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Only in Laramie do you run into your professors at Walmart on a Saturday morning. There is a very specific kind of awkwardness that can only be experienced in a town so small that there is only one Walmart. Hung over, exhausted and triumphant from Friday night’s activities, college students do their grocery shopping at the most affordable place in town, Walmart. Alongside them shop their teachers and mentors. This kind of forced social interactions can only be achieved in a town as small as Laramie, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Only in Laramie is the closing of a library mourned like the death of a beloved friend. The closing of the Library was a tragedy that marked the end of an era. The Library provided convenient food for students looking for a reprieve from Washakie. A place to celebrate athletic victories and mourn the losses. While I hear they are relocating, losing our campus neighbor is something that will mark 2013 and stay with us into next year.

Lastly, in light of recent weather, I must add that only in Laramie can you experience sunshine, rain, snow, blizzard conditions and sunshine in the span of 48 hours. Until you’ve experienced this it is hard to articulate what this feels like, but those of us who have can agree it is the worst thing about this place. The need to have a winter coat and shorts in your closet at any time is frustrating beyond measure. Making plans for the weekend cannot happen until Friday because Lord knows the roads out of this delightful town can close in hours and stay closed for days. The point is that the weather, like many other institutions in Laramie, has a personality all its own and is something you can only get in Laradise.

So, as we finish the semester, I hope you all take some time to appreciate the general awesome that is our home 10 months out of the year. It is small, weird, frustrating and drunk a lot of the time, but it is Laradise, our own little Wyoming paradise.

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