November 7, 2013

I was meeting with the library director when the zombies mounted an attack. An owl was watching from its perch in the courtyard. And popcorn was available.

Just another ordinary day on campus.

Yes, it was Halloween but most days at Medicine Hat College are something out of the ordinary and that makes this a really dynamic and interesting place to work.

In the last week alone I discovered about a dozen, shall we say, intriguing diversions from the comparatively humdrum classes and labs going on in the background.

I learned, for example, that it is possible to play glow-in-the-dark dodge ball. To me that sounds like an opportunity to gain a bruise or two while crawling around in the gym looking for a lost contact lens but, hey, I’m not judging.

Other balls, softer and usually visible, are always on the bounce in the lounge near the Students’ Association offices. Ping Pong is popular on campus and there’s a tournament coming up in November. On reflection, I think Ping Pong is popular with the players but not so much with the people who have to retrieve the balls trapped in the ceiling.

The roving bands of students armed with Nerf guns and other foam weapons had me sorely puzzled until I noticed the poster for Zombie week. I don’t know the rules, if any, but it appears that teams of ‘survivors’ and ‘zombies’ attempt to waylay each other in otherwise obscure hallways. Violence is minimal but there are cash prizes which probably explain the speed with which the Zombies were moving outside the library.

Unrelated to the living dead running the halls last week, Centennial Hall currently features numerous tributes to our skeletal selves. The bone-themed Halloween art show is an annual presentation of the Visual Communications program. Take a few minutes to visit the show, or take a walk through our halls anytime to view some of the campus art collection.

The campus is also gearing up to support some good causes. Groups of community-minded people have launched a relay for life to support the Canadian Cancer Society while others are aiming to stock shelves at the Food Bank. Third year nursing students also rolled up their sleeves to provide 435 annual flu vaccinations.

I also saw a large plush Panda playing pool, the day care kids charmed us in Halloween costumes, and delivered cookies too, as their contribution to random acts of kindness that graced the campus.  

In fact, the owl may have been the most ordinary thing I saw last week. He or she calls the campus home and often haunts the trees by the library. Life on campus is never dull.

Feel free to share your thoughts with me.