Published: Sept. 8, 2015

Hello, scholars! I am Sarah Ellsworth: IPHY major, Boulder native and event connoisseur, writing to you from the comfort of beautiful CU-Boulder on all of your weekly opportunities for community involvement, educational whatnot and supreme fun. Have a fabulous week everyone.

Wednesday, Sept. 9

Give blood. Sometimes, it’s not that hard to make the world a better place. Significance is achieved through small actions, and lives are saved through small amounts of blood. Not to worry, Buffs- it’s a quick and easy blood donation process with Bonfils this Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Ice Overlook Room (Rec. Center). I suggest a blood donating date since everything is more fun with a buddy - just grab your man friend or lady friend, spare a pint, and then go grab some lunch at a nice restaurant to re-energize and refuel. Give Blood.

Have your family register for Family Weekend and book a hotel. Go to http://www.colorado.edu/familyweekend/ to register your family for CU’s family weekend, which will include fun activities like a golf tourney, a 5K walk/run, and the CU/University of Oregon football game. There is a $50/family registration fee, which will give access to even more events and goings-on. Make sure your family registers and books a hotel sooner rather than later.

Academic Skills: Walk-in Wednesdays. If the commencement of the school year is proving to be a new academic challenge and you feel the need to brush up your study skills, then drop into Fleming 190 (the SASC section) between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. and the fine people there will help you out. Drop in sessions usually last around 10 to 15 minutes and cover anything from tutoring from good habits. Click here to learn more about Academic skills: Wednesday walkins.

Thursday, Sept. 10

Apply to be an Alternative Break site leader. The volunteer Resource Center is seeking students with interests in travel, leadership and social and environmental issues to apply to be site leaders for CU’s alternative break trips, which are service focused journeys that take place during breaks in the academic year. Service leaders can receive academic credit, and must be available Wednesday evenings, as well as Sept. 26 and 27 to receive training. This is an awesome opportunity, so be sure to apply soon since the Sept. 14 deadline is fast approaching! Learn more here.

Welcome Freeriders: Ski and Snowboard season kickoff. Swing by the UMC fountain from 3 to 6 p.m. to learn about Freerider club membership and watch the CU ski teams bust a move in their annual rail jam. This may be the coolest thing you see all week - these guys are talented! Even though it’s not snowing yet, it’s never to early to get psyched for skiing, pick up a pass and win some prizes. Don’t forget, Buffs, the time to get discount ski equipment and apparel is now! Click here for more information on the Freeriders club.

Friday, Sept. 11:

Although this is not one of the ten things, I’d like for you to take a few moments today to appreciate the good things in your life and to be thankful for the lives of the people who you love and who love you.

Hit the Bricks Lego Exhibit. Hit the Heritage Center in Old Main between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to check out the image of CU Boulder from above in perhaps the most underrated artistic medium: Legos. This exhibit will blow your five-year-old self’s ideas about Lego engineering out of the water, and may reveal parts of CU you didn’t even know existed. Hit the Bricks exhibit.

Extreme Bowling. “What makes it extreme?” you may ask. Allow me to enlighten you (pun intended). Black lights, loud music and colored lanes and pins will grace the hardwood landing strip from 7 to 11 p.m. this Friday at The Connection in the UMC, where you may just roll your way to victory. Just remember: this is bowling. There are rules. Try some extreme bowling.

Visit the Sommers-Bausch Observatory open house. Come by the Observatory around 8:30 p.m. to check out the telescopes of various sizes and the world’s largest starwheel to take a peek into the cosmos and have your questions answered. It’s supposed to be a pretty clear night this Friday, so you may have the chance to see some things you never even knew existed. It’s a beautiful and mysterious universe, and you should seize every chance you get to see the far off parts of it. Visit the Sommers-Bausch Observatory free open house

Saturday, Sept. 12

CU Football vs. Massachusetts. This is the first home football game of the year, and you’re going to want to be there to support your football team, whose season is expected to be a huge improvement from last year. The Buffs have been training hard in preseason and are gearing up to showcase their skills at home, so let’s give them a huge fan backdrop at noon in Folsom Field. Click here to learn more.

Sunday, Sept. 13

Boulder Pridefest. There is always something happening in Boulder: Join the Boulder community at 11 a.m. in Boulder’s Central Park (on Arapahoe between Canyon and 13th Street, at the bottom of the hill on Broadway) for the Boulder Pridefest. There will be food, booths, entertainment and cool people ready to celebrate. Click here for more information about the Boulder Pridefest.