Month: January 2021

Due to COVID-19, Winter Carnival 2021 will look different than years past. Blue Key is focused on maintaining a positive Winter Carnival experience for Michigan Tech students. That means changes to the all-nighter and many events going virtual. Check out the announcements on the Winter Carnival website. 

Alumni-Student Broomball for 2021 Canceled
With the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services restrictions regarding athletic tournaments, the alumni-student tournament will take a year off in 2021.

Make Your Own Snow Statue for the Alumni “Snow” Statue Contest
Participate at home in the most cherished of Michigan Tech traditions! The Michigan Tech Alumni Board of Directors has partnered with Blue Key and Alumni Engagement to offer a “Snow” Statue Contest for alumni and their friends and families.

We encourage all alumni to enjoy Winter Carnival 2021 from a distance. If you do venture to campus, please respect guidelines for masks, social distancing, and gatherings. Help us stay at Campus Health and Safety Level Three so we can continue our hands-on learning moving forward.

Dr. Bonnie Gorman, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, retired at the conclusion of the fall semester, ending a remarkable 24-year career at Michigan Tech.

During that time, she served in a number of key roles and collaborated with staff and students to launch Orientation Week, Make a Difference Day, Homecoming Cardboard Boats, the Waino Wahtera Center for Student Success and so much more. Bonnie was committed to student success both in and out of the classroom. Over the years, she implemented a variety of programs to help students prioritize their physical and mental health, grow as leaders, and be academically successful.

In 2014, Bonnie heard from students about their need for food assistance and within a year, she started the Husky FAN (Food Access Network).  The pantry continues to meet a critical need for students experiencing food insecurity, especially during this past year.

Bonnie is well known for her Meet the Dean of Students buttons which she distributed as a way to meet all incoming students each fall. #tenacity

Comment below to thank Bonnie for her service to Michigan Tech and share a memory.

Using our Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn channels back in December, we offered Michigan Tech Alumni a free mask in exchange for updating their contact info.

We’re happy to say that we’ve given out our entire supply of 1,500 masks!

Thanks to those alumni who shared photos of themselves with their masks. A gallery of photos we’ve seen is below.

Even though we’re out of masks, we encourage you to give us your updated contact information. We’ll be able to let you know about alumni reunion, future alumni events in your area or other things happening on campus. You can do so here.

If you’d like to purchase a Michigan Tech mask, they are available at University Images.

Calling all alumni! Participate in the most cherished of Michigan Tech traditions.

Here’s your chance to show your family and friends what an iron is really for. Or maybe you’ve had a great idea for a “snow” statue made out of something other than snow.

We know that nothing compares to snow in the Keweenaw. We also hold tightly to our Tech traditions like Winter Carnival. 

For Winter Carnival 2021, the Michigan Tech Alumni Board of Directors has partnered with Blue Key and Alumni Engagement to offer a “Snow” Statue Contest for alumni and their friends and families. 

The contest runs through January 31, 2021, with a midnight EST deadline. Judging begins after that, with winners announced on February 4.

There will be multiple categories for competition, accounting for a variety of materials that may be available to our alumni as well as multi-day and single day events.

Contest Rules

Contest runs January 1-31 with a midnight EST deadline. Participants must include at least one Michigan Tech alumnus/alumna

Categories

• Snow Statue – 24 Hour
• Snow Statue – Multi-day
• Other Material* Statue – 24 Hour
• Other Material* Statue – Multi-day
• Fabricated Statue**
• Virtual Statue***

Statues should be self-supporting and sculptural (three dimensional) 

*Other materials could include such things as sand, clay, wood, LegoⓇ bricks, styrofoam, metal, glass, and plastic. 

**Fabricated (e.g., 3D-printed, cast, machined) statues must be original designs by participant(s) (not templates) and will be judged separately from other materials.

***Virtual statues include 3D drawings, animation or other virtual designs.

Statues must include a name and title/caption (e.g., Sigma Mu Delta, “Oh No! It’s the Loch Ice Monster” ). 

Statue descriptions may be included in the entry form. Please see example below. 

“The legend of the Loch Ness Monster becomes a chilling reality for two hapless fishermen on Loch Ness. The fisherman in the front of the boat is frozen in terror while his companion continues to reel in his catch. A few fish poke their heads out of the water to view the scene. The backdrop is a looming Scottish castle from which an ominous Scotsman drones on his bagpipes in honor of the monster’s visit from the depths. A two by four is used in the axis of the Scotsman as are thin wooden dowels in the individual pipes of the fishermen. Rope, string, and a thin wooden dowel are used in the fishing pole.”

Additional coloring (beyond your material base color) may only be used in the lettering of your group’s name, insignia, or statue title/caption. Coloring is limited to the statue title block; absolutely no coloring can be used on the statue itself.

Statues will be judged based on photos and entry form submitted. Winners will be announced February 4, 2021, and featured in a special Winter Carnival Alumni eNewsletter in February.

Entry Forms:
Use this form if you have a Gmail account
Use this form if you do not have a Gmail account

Email questions to mtualumnistatue@gmail.com