Hello and happy December, alumni and friends! I hope your Thanksgiving weekend was wonderful and you enjoyed time with family and friends. I hope the holiday season brings health, happiness and joy to you. The first deep freeze has happened at WOU, so I guess that means winter has officially arrived. 

Our students, faculty and staff are preparing for the end of an amazing fall term. This week is prep week and next week is finals week, which will lead into winter break. Students and faculty members will return to campus for the start of winter term on Jan. 6. The winter athletic teams are off to a great start. The men’s basketball team is currently undefeated with a 5-0 record. 

The men play at home against Corban University at 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 and the women play at home at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16. For additional information on WOU athletics and upcoming events, visit GO WOLVES. In January, there will be musical and theater performances happening on campus. Be sure to visit WOU to get the latest on performances, happenings and athletic events. 

There are many traditions at WOU and one that I look forward to every December is the Holiday Tree Lighting at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. I will be serving hot chocolate near The Cottage so please stop by and say hello. Here’s a recap of the events that took place in November. 

Alumni & Friends After Hours 

On Tuesday, Nov. 12, more than a dozen alumni  gathered at Gilgamesh Brewing-The Woods for great conversation, delicious food and drinks and trivia. It was the monthly After Hours, hosted by WOU Alumni Board members. These events are hosted at various locations every second Tuesday of the month and all are welcome. Guests enjoyed connecting with one another and meeting new friends, as well as spending time with old friends. Thank you to Gilgamesh for hosting our group and for their wonderful service. December’s After Hours will be held at f/Stop Fitzgerald’s in Salem. After Hours is 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10 and are free to attend. Food and beverage purchases are on your own but each attendee gets entered into a drawing for a fabulous door prize and there are always giveaways for all to take home. Hope you can join us in December!

Senior Kickoff

As the newest batch of soon to be WOU grads navigates their final year at WOU, there is much to learn and know about the steps to take to graduate. On Thursday, Nov. 14, WOU Alumni Relations hosted the annual Senior Kickoff, which included dinner, giveaways and a brief presentation from campus departments about the essential steps students must complete for graduation. Financial aid shared tips and tricks to get debts paid off, The Registrar’s office shared the top 10 things seniors must do in order to graduate and SLCD shared resources available to current students and alumni. Jostens was onsite to share the dates of the grad fair in the spring and to show off some of the trinkets graduates can buy to commemorate their time at WOU. All of the information was shared with students anticipating graduation sometime this academic year and helped them prepare for commencement. **We will host another event like this in the spring, so those who missed the fall session will have another chance to participate.