How nice to have so many alumni back in town last Saturday for Alumni Weekend. Before and after the parties and game, many alumni stopped by campus to have a look around. They were excited about the pre- and post-game parties and a chance to see the men’s basketball team in action.

At the pre-grame party, alumni and their children enjoyed treats and a visit from the always-enthusiastic Basketball Band. The band filed in with their drums, tubas, trumpets, clarinets, saxophones, and many other instruments to play the Bradley fight song and get the alumni fired up for the game with other upbeat tunes.

The fans were definitely ready to cheer on the team, and our Bradley Braves beat the Drake Bulldogs 100-85. I hear that the fans let out quite a roar when they saw the score board flash 100. I am so glad the alumni who came back for the weekend got to experience such a fun game.

At the post-game party everyone enjoyed visiting with the players, who graciously signed autographs and posed for photos with the kids. In the photos below, sophomore forward Sam Singh gets his photo taken with a future Bradley student, and seniors Will Franklin (guard) and Zach Andrews (forward) sign autographs.

I hope next year the weather is a little warmer for Alumni Weekend and that if you haven’t experienced this fun event you’ll plan to attend. And don’t forget to stop by campus before the game!

You can see it in people’s faces this time of year. They are tired of winter - of cold, ice, and darkness.

Students trudging across campus this week have been fighting bitter cold and extreme wind chills. I have noticed a trend in recent years away from hats, gloves, scarves, and boots. Even this morning I saw a student walking to class in sandals and thin pants. She did have on a coat but not hat and gloves! Of course all the accoutrements of winter do get tiresome by February. Our coat could do with a trip to the cleaners and we’ve lost one of our gloves. We just want to be able to walk out the door instead of spending five minutes bundling up.

Today, a light, fluffy snowfall came to match the cold. I don’t think many people expected the five or six inches that we seem to be getting. If you don’t have to drive, you can enjoy the snow’s beauty. If you dress warmly enough, you can get out and savor what is likely to be the last heavy snow of the year.