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MU BACK TO SCHOOL GUIDE
Construction projects add new feel; football, concerts keep excitement high
New student housing on 5th Avenue Friday, July 25, 2008, at Marshall University.
Purchase this photoSo, welcome back. Or, if you're a freshman, welcome.
For those of you who are familiar with the campus of Marshall University, you'll notice that a lot -- not all, but a lot -- of that orange netting surrounding dirt and timber and big, yellow earth movers is gone. So is a lot of the dirt and the bulldozers themselves.
That's right, the new dorms along 5th Avenue near the intersection of 20th Street are done. Ready to live in. Fin.
The new engineering building is finished, too. You can't live there, though some of you might be feeling like you are once classes get into full swing.
If you're new and you feel like you missed out on all of the construction fun, don't worry. There's still work going on at the new Alumni Association and Foundation Center and the student recreational facility right next to the new dorms.
The student rec. center is supposed to be done by February, so if you want to run some laps, lift some weights, shoot some hoops or just about anything else, you'll be able to do that for most of the spring semester.
But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. There's plenty that's going to be happening right when you get here around Aug. 25. That's the day classes start, by the way, so when I say "around" the 25th, I mean get here before then.
You then have five days to get ready for Aug. 30, which is the first home football game against Illinois State. As of now, the game is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, so you should be able to sleep in as long as you want before painting your face and donning a buffalo hat.
Of course, the big game happens Sept. 27 up in Morgantown when the Thundering Herd lock horns with West Virginia University. WVU came to Huntington for the first time in 75 years last season, and Marshall was about 15 minutes shy of keeping this year's contest on home turf. But it didn't happen. So, if you want to see the Friends of Coal Bowl in person, you'll have to travel to 'Eer country for the 3:30 p.m. kickoff. Beware of flaming couches.
But not everything at Marshall takes place on the gridiron. Aside from studying, there are plenty of clubs and activities to check out, as well as events in the Huntington community.
If you're into making your eardrums bleed, there's X-Fest, which takes place at Harris Riverfront Park on Sept. 6, and you can't miss the 25th year of ChiliFest in downtown on Sept. 20.
Plus, there's the Fall International Film Festival at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, running Oct. 10 through Oct. 16.
Of course, while you're having all of this fun, you might be expected to get some schoolwork done, so here are some other important dates to keep in mind:
- Aug. 18-22, registration.
- Aug. 22, residence halls open for freshmen.
- Aug. 25-29, late registration and add/drop.
- Aug. 29, last day to add classes.
- Sept. 1, Labor Day holiday, university closed.
- Sept. 19, application for December graduation due.
- Nov. 3, deadline to apply for 2009 graduation.
- Nov. 24-29, Thanksgiving holiday, university closed.
- Dec. 3-9, "dead week."
- Dec. 9, last day of classes.
- Dec. 16, fall semester closes.
Ben Fields is the Marshall University beat reporter at The Herald-Dispatch. Got a hot tip or story idea? Call Fields at 304-526-2773 or e-mail him at befields@ herald-dispatch.com.
