Boulder’s first schoolhouse opened in 1860, but it was far from the last school to be built here! The University of Colorado in Boulder was established in the early 1870s when the Colorado territorial legislature made an amendment to the constitution that provided money for three universities. CU was, of course, one. The other two were the Colorado School of Mines in Golden and the Colorado Agricultural College in Fort Collins, both of which still exist today. But at first, there was some debate about exactly where to put the new university. Two cities were competing for it: Boulder and Cañon... Read More

Mid-1990s Boulder was busy with activity. Fitness was king. Local businesses were prized. Hacky Sack circles and jam band opuses were ubiquitous anywhere students congregated. Simultaneous to that, though, was something wholly different. Buried in the corridors of the JILA tower on CU’s campus, a breakthrough was purring along quietly. Professors Carl Wieman and Eric Cornell were making real what many physicists thought was only theory. In the 1920s, Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein conceived of a new form of matter, which came to be known as the Bose-Einstein Condensate. A full explanation... Read More

Often, the significance of an event isn’t clear until after it’s passed. Everyone can recall an example in his or her own life. Sports, of course, are no exception. And since September is in full swing, that means football, which brings to mind a particularly odd example. It’s October 6, 1990. The CU Buffs had a record of three wins, one loss, and one tie; their opponent, the University of Missouri Tigers, had a record of two wins and two losses. Nearly 47,000 fans packed Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri to watch the rivals battle it out. Both teams played hard, and Missouri lead 31-27... Read More

This weekend marks the annual tradition of the bash at Folsom Field. There is a lot of music, food, fireworks, family fun, and a run from Ralphie (the best part). However, the fireworks aren’t bad either. This weekend also marks the return of the Summer Concert Series to Folsom Field as Dead & Company take the stage on July 2nd and 3rd before the Bash on the 4th. This means that it will be one busy weekend at Folsom and people should plan accordingly for closures and traffic. If you have not been to the event on the 4th, I highly recommend that you go at least once. If you do not want... Read More

Douglas Adams wrote: “Space is Big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is.” Some of that distance, though, is about to shrink. Enter NASA’s New Horizons mission. Launched in 2006, it’s been hurdling toward the outer reaches of our solar system at 31,000 miles per hour. The destination? Pluto, its system of five known moons, and beyond. The craft is on track for its closest flyby of Pluto on July 14th; detailed information is expected to arrive beginning the 16th (again, space is big). Using a host of abbreviation-heavy scientific equipment—REX,... Read More

People eating people is messy business. No surprise there. The Walking Dead, for example, paints a serious portrait of life in a world overrun by flesh hungry citizens—from the psychology of survival, to logistics of remaining ahead of a horde. Boulder and CU-Boulder take a different approach. We’re not talking zombies, of course, but something no less unbelievable, and a lot more real. Gold and silver were kings of the Four Corners region in the late 19th century. Add homesteaders traveling westward, as well as a hearty sense of wildness, and you got the bedrock of the Wild West. Alferd Packer... Read More

  The start of the school year is very busy and can be stressful so it’s best to know the top steps to get rid of that stress early on. Billiards/Bowling in the UMC Walking through our Museum Picnic on Norlin Swim in the new Buff Pool Check out the Planetarium The UMC is known for supplying all Buff apparel, books needed for class, dining, program council, and the list goes on. However, tucked away on the bottom floor on the south end you will find The Connection. It’s cheap fun, and if you go for bowling when it’s busy and have to wait, the pool is free. I have senior friends here... Read More

Finals week is upon us here at CU, which means that students all across campus are now utilizing their years of education and highly developed problem solving skills in order to come up with excuses to avoid studying. As a senior, I can safely say that I’ve become an expert on the subject. A black belted master in the art of putting things off, if you will. Heck, I’m even procrastinating right now by writing this blog instead of working on my English portfolio! Now, I would never recommend procrastination to any student. It’s a dark, treacherous road that can lead you to drink... Read More

Colorado Cross Country has done it again. On Saturday, November 2nd, the Buffaloes hosted the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships for the first time since 2002 and represented their home turf justly by coming out swinging (or sprinting, rather). The weather was just right for running on Saturday, with cool temperatures and very little wind as thousands of fans poured onto Coal Creek Golf Course in Louisville to cheer on the racers. Among the audience were many of the CU alumni who contributed in the past to establish Colorado as one of the premier running programs in the nation. Olympians, NCAA... Read More

Whether you’ve just started school at CU or you’ve been around the block a few semesters, by the time you graduate you’ll be sure to have encountered each of these seven types of professors: 1. The Comedian: This professor views their classroom as a nightclub, and their students as an audience that just keeps coming back for more. Some are legitimately hilarious and will leave your abs (if only you had abs) aching from laughter, while others will make you want to hide your cringing face behind your textbook. Whether your professor is the academic version of Chris Rock, or a scholarly... Read More

It all began on Wednesday evening, around sundown, when the rain started dumping. Forget cats and dogs, this was lions and bears. I was heading back from a friend’s house and remember thinking that the raindrops were so big and coming down so hard that it felt more like hail than rainfall. After being outside for only about a minute I was as drenched in water as if I’d just climbed out of a swimming pool. The heavy rain kept up and continued throughout the night and all the way through Thursday. So far, we’ve recorded six to eight inches of rainfall and nearly every waterway... Read More

So, you’ve just started school at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Congrats! You’re in for the best four (or maybe more) years of your life, which you’re likely to have trouble remembering. Here are eight tips from a current CU senior to help you new Buffs out as you navigate CU: 1) Dealing with your Roommate: Try not to worry too much about having a “bad roommate.” Statistically speaking, it’s very unlikely that they’ll be a psycho serial killer. Just be respectful to them and chances are they’ll return the favor. Don’t leave a mess in... Read More