The Ichabods traveled to Lawrence for an exhibition game against the Jayhawks Monday evening.  The boys in blue gave those 'Hawks a good run, too.  Of course, it was a great atmosphere and it was awesome to see so many Ichabods in the crowd!

Homecoming Weekend

Just a few pics from Washubrn's Homecoming weekend.  Saturday morning started out a bit chilly, but it turned out to be a beautiful day!

After Hours

Just a reminder, in conjunction with Homecoming, Washburn After Hours is this Friday, Oct. 26.  Join us from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center on the Washburn campus.  Enjoy appetizers, soft drinks, beer and wine. 
Special thanks to MRH Insurance Group Inc. for underwriting this month's After Hours.
We'll be back to our regular first-Friday schedule beginning next month.  So, that means two After Hours in two weeks!  Join us again Nov. 2 and help us thank the Washburn education department for underwriting the event.

We're helping the students with a canned food drive.  They're competing against Emporia State to see which school can collect the most cans for donation to a local charity.  Please bring a can or two of food and help us "Can Emporia."  Put your donation in the BIG soup can in the Alumni Center lobby.
This Friday's After Hours is complementary in celebration of Homecoming.  For the Nov. After Hours, admission is free for dues paid members of the Washburn Alumni Association or $5 for non members.  Not a member?  Consider joining.  Membership in the Alumni Association is open to all Washburn supporters.  You don't have to be a Washburn graduate to be a member.
Take advantage of FREE admission to After Hours by joining today at:
https://www2-prod.washburn.edu/ccp/departments/alumni/

We hope to see you this Friday and next!

'Gearing' Up for Homecoming!

(See what I did there?)

Monday starts Homecoming Week for Washburn!  Are you ready?  The Alumni office is!  Here's a peek of their entry for the Top Hat Decoration Contest:

 Notice the Alumni Association mentions.  You better believe we're going to bring it and represent!

 Get it?  'Gearing' up?  No?

Never mind.

Stop by the main level of Memorial Union during the week from 10:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. Tuesday-Friday to vote for your favorite hat (THIS ONE, DUH!) by placing money into it's assigned jar.  All contributions donated will go to the United Way of Greater Topeka.  Also, come to After Hours Friday evening and bid on this one of a kind piece of Washburn 'gear'.  You want to buy it. You know you do.   Bidding closes at 7:00 p.m.

If you somehow missed the homecoming brochure that came in the mail, follow this link for all the information you need regarding the Homecoming festivities.  
http://www.washburn.edu/alumni-friends/alumni-homecoming/index.html 
 Hope to see all you there!  Go Bods!

(photos courtesy Ernie Webb.  Thanks, Ernie!)

Washburn's Own Cover Girls

Click below to read about Washburn's own Cover Girls concert tomorrow evening at Ice & Olives in Topeka:

http://cjonline.com/news/2012-09-27/cover-girls-rack-gig-ice-olives

Washburn, FTW!

Well Washburn fans, the football season got kicked off last night with a warm night filled with smoke from tailgaters, collegians and alumni laughing and enjoying the buzz in the air and a new edition to the tailgating festivities:  a kid zone!!  While the Ichablogger would have  much preferred a kick-off temp of about 15 degrees coolers, it was a perfect night for the home opener.  It was lovely to see the usuals, and even more exciting to see the new faces and the expressions of all the mini-bods while playing in the kid zone.  Lots more photos after the jump!

ROAD TRIP!!!

Road trip with us to Hays to cheer on the Ichabod football team on Saturday, Sept. 8.  Kickoff is 7 p.m. The bus will leave the Washburn campus at 3 p.m.  Cost is $50 per person and includes deluxe motorcoach transportation, boxed dinner and game ticket.  BYOB.  We’ll return to Topeka immediately following the game.  Anticipate a late arrival back to campus. We must have a minimum of 36 passengers signed up by Aug. 9.  Help us spread the word. To RSVP, simply reply to this e-mail.  We must have your payment before Aug. 9.  You can also RSVP by phoning 785-670-1641 and pay by phone. Thank you! Privacy Policy  |  Email Preferences © Copyright 2012 Washburn University Alumni Association

Shop 'Til You Drop

So it's no secret that there haven't been very many businesses that carry decent, affordable Washburn apparel and merchandise.  How many times have you wanted a new WU shirt for a tailgate party or playoff game or your kid outgrew the Ichabod shirt you bought him 5 minutes ago, only to drive around and find something so ridiculously overpriced or imprinted with a beloved cartoon character that has nothing to do with Washburn?  Well.  Your frustrations are now a thing of the past, friends.  May I introduce you to GameDay Supestore?  The people who work here are awesome.  I mean, they had to deal with the Ichablogger nagging them about not having much Washburn wear and not representing Washburn in their home town.  How many businesses do you know would take the time to not only listen to a potential customer, but actually follow through with an incredible show of support and faith in the Washburn devoted?  They are the real deal.  You're immediately greeted when you walk in the door.  You're informed of the great 4 for $20 table!  I can't say enough good things about this store.  The merchandise is appealing, stylish, up to date, and most importantly, it's all seriously affordable. They are located at 5967 SW 29th St., Suite 250 (near 29th and Wanamaker).  Hours of operation are Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and 

Sunday 12 p.m.-5 p.m.  Their website:

http://www.gamedaysuperstore.com/

(However, at the time of this post, there was not an option to purchase Washburn merchandise online.)

The assistant store manager, Jessica McKinley, was kind enough to let me snap some photos of the store as well as all the great merchandise they have available.

I mean, LOOK at all this navy and white!  Can you stand it?  It's fantastic!

This stuff looks like what the coaches and athletes wear.  Amazing.

My personal favorite.

 It totally deserved this close up.  If you have a mini Ichabod cheerleader in your house, you MUST get her one of these as well as a pair of those fabulous poms!

Need a little bling for the big game?  Check.

How about some hip casual wear?  Check.

Or warm ups? Or awesome kids apparel?  Check and check!

They also have scads of KU and KSU merchandise as well that is top notch.

So stop by GameDay and give them your business.  Tell them Ichablogger sent you* and that you appreciate them supporting Washburn!

*In the interest of full disclosure, I must inform you  that GameDay is in no way paying for this praise or advertisement.  The Washburn Alumni Association, it's employees and/or board members are not receiving kick-backs of any kind for allowing this to be posted.  We just want all of our alumni and friends to be made aware of this local business and it's offerings. 

Venus in Transit

Did you guys get a chance to see Venus cross in front of the sun on Tuesday? No?  Awww...too bad.  You're going to have to wait another 105 years to catch it again. We were able to see it live, in person on campus by Stoffer Science Hall and Bennet Computer Center.  It was fascinating.  The Physics and Astronomy department had an open house with a couple of serious telescopes out tracking Venus' path. Special thanks to Dr. Mark Smith, lecturer and astronomy outreach coordinator, for setting up this event.

 They had a great crowd right at the beginning of the open house.

 Dr. Brian Thomas, associate Physics Professor at Washburn, handed out official NASA certificates for the kids (or anyone really) who witnessed the once in a lifetime event.

(And it took everything I have in me not to make a Dr. Sheldon Cooper reference.  Bazinga!)

 Dr. Thomas was great with the youngsters.  Wish he was around when I took physics.  Perhaps I would have fared a little better... :\

See the large white circle?  That's the sun.  Now see the circle at the 3:00 position?  That's Venus!

A few mini-Bods checking out the Sun and Venus in their interplanetary tango.

 This telescope had a special filter on it so that you could look directly at the sun and Venus.

So.  Cool.

 Professors Steve Black and Dr. Karen Camarda manned this telescope that projected the view onto a cork board so that the littles could easily see the event.  Isn't that incredible?  That professors who are used to working with adults took the time to think about the children in the community and made it so they, too, could experience it?  Makes me even more proud to be an Ichabod.

Venus well on it's way (at about the 2:00 position in this photo).  This is just one example of the events that the different departments offer on campus for the general public.  For a list of upcoming events, click on the link below:
 http://www.washburn.edu/index.html

MIAA Night at T-Bones Game

Yes.  The Ichablogger lives!  Sorry guys.  Real life gets in the way sometimes.  And when I say real life, I mean pretty much everything that doesn't involve FaceBook (gasp!), Twitter (I know) and just about any other social media out there.  Well except for Pinterest.  That alone should explain it all, amiright?

Anyway, yesterday was MIAA night at the T-Bones game.  Washburn had a great turnout again.  It was a fun evening of food, friends and fellowship with other alumni from some of the other schools in the MIAA.  Here are some pictures to prove that a good time was had by all:

Guests checking into the tailgate party.

Rusty Dennis, bba '91 and mba '97, and Alumni Association Media Specialist Ernie Webb, ba '98, discussing, er, not really sure to be honest...

Sizzler and some mini-Bods posing for the Ichablogger.
I really hope they pay Sizzler well for braving the heat in this get up.

Scott Hipp, bba '89 and son hanging out with the Dennis family, enjoying some Chopper Chicken.

Assistant Alumni Director Robin Moser handing out the prizes to the lucky winners.

Only in Kansas, at a T-Bones game, would there be a milking contest in between innings.

Frank White in house!

Alumni Board of Directors member John Ybarra, ba '97, yucking it up with fellow alumni.

 Keeping the younger Ichabods entertained isn't always so easy...

OK, so maybe it is.

 Rusty Dennis, bba '91 and mba '97, dons his rally hat to try get something going for the T-Bones.

 Susie Hoffman, Alumni Association Director, hobnobbing with some of the Washburn alumni in attendance.

Too bad that rally hat didn't work.

 Alumni Board of Director member, Mark Ross, bba ’83, Susie Hoffman, John Haverty, ba ’99, and Alumni Association Assistant Director Robin Moser, ba '99, hanging out after the T-Bones loss to the Amarillo Sox.

 The fireworks show after the game was an added treat, especially for all the mini-Bods in attendance.

Thanks to all the alumni who made the trip to KC.  It was a blast and hope to see everybody and more at next year's event!