Category Archives: News

Sir Jimmie Blog: The School For Me with Paul Gibson

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By: Paul Gibson

As an Ohioan, I had little idea of what life would be like here in Jamestown, North Dakota, particularly since unlike most here I had no family or friends nearby.

Despite all of my hesitations, I decided to start college here four years ago, and I have never looked back since.

I have had a great experience here at University of Jamestown, and I could not have imagined I would have enjoyed it as much as I did. My experience here can be broken down into the following three categories: academic, athletic, and social.Academic Experiences

Academically, I could not have asked for a better education than I have received here. When I initially arrived on campus, I wanted to be a History major, but realizing that this would require extra schooling if I wanted to make any serious money in the field, I decided to pursue a double major in Computer Science and History, instead.

I had little experience with computers, so if it were not for the great and patient professors in the Computer Science Department, especially Professors Lemm, Sand, and Reed, I would have probably abandoned that field of study. However, with their help, I have almost attained the computer science degree and have a job lined up in the computer science field upon graduation.

I have greatly enjoyed my studies in history, as well, for it is a subject I love. The History Department’s professors, Dr. Joy and Dr. Weinzierl, have been a joy to learn from (pun intended). Even though I never had a class from him, Dr. Johnson has been a great adviser, and if it was not for him encouraging me to pursue computer science if I wanted to, then I probably never would have entered the program.

Athletic Experiences

Athletically, it was football that initially brought me to this school, and I have participated in it all four years I have been here. I enjoyed my time with the program, but it did not go quite as I thought it would. I played for my freshman and sophomore years, and then during sophomore year spring ball, I hurt my knee and was never to play again.

I decided to pursue the student-coach route, which I have done for the past two years, so I could still be involved with the team. Even after the season, I have continued on staff to help out the best I can in the final months that I am here. I have enjoyed working with Coach Mistro so far, and I look forward to what he will do with the program.

Social Experiences

Socially, I have met a lot of people through football and just across campus. I have made great relationships with many people, and I look forward to keeping in contact with them after graduation. I have even made a few special friendships that I never thought I would have made. I am especially grateful for these relationships, and I am happy to consider them not just friends in college but friends for life.

Thus, we see that, I have had a great experience here, and while I may have doubted this four years ago, I now see that University of Jamestown was certainly the school for me.

Paul Gibson (middle) with his Jimmie Football teammates.

UJ Wind Ensemble Performing Pops Concert

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By: Natalie McKenna

University of Jamestown Wind Ensemble will perform a Pops Concert on Feb. 17, 2019 at 2 p.m. in the DeNault Auditorium, located in the Reiland Fine Arts Center. The concert is free and open to the public.

The concert, themed “Heroes,” will feature music from various heroic films, characters, and historical figures. The ensemble will play music about movies like “Captain America,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Wonder Woman,” “Star Wars,” and “Black Panther.”

“This is such a fun concert with music from movies and TV shows. Many of the themes will be familiar to audience members of all ages!” said Dr. Laura Lynch, Assistant Professor and Director of Instrumental Music. “There will also be images projected on the screen with quotes from and about the characters. We’re also encouraging people to live-tweet the concert from our Twitter-Rows!”

The Twitter-Rows will be designated rows where attendees can sit and live tweet the concert by following @UJamestownBands and using the hashtag #UJWonderBand.

The concert is expected to last less than an hour.

Cell phones, laundromats, and caramel popcorn: Dead Man’s Cell Phone opens February 14

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By: Stephanie Jorritsma

This Thursday through Saturday, the Reiland auditorium will be presenting the play Dead Man’s Cell Phone, written by Sarah Ruhl and directed by Hunter Carpenter. 

Dead Man’s Cell Phone centers around a woman named Jean who answers a dead stranger’s cell phone in a café.  She lies about knowing the man and soon finds herself pulled into a world of mystery, love, and loss through the ever-ringing phone.

Though the play is certainly filled with intriguing settings, characters, and situations (think caramel popcorn and laundromats), Dead Man’s Cell Phone also makes statements about life in the modern world.  Carpenter notes that the play combines elements of drama, romance, comedy, and thriller to create a truly unique genre that engages the audience.  Carpenter believes that the play also raises powerful questions about the role technology has and should have in our lives. 

Carpenter states, “We idealize our phone, our technology, more than we realize.  When Jean, our main character, finds herself so attached to this cell phone, it causes her to distance herself from what is her actually reality.”  Carpenter believes that this play will leave audiences pondering ideas about technology, society, and life as a whole.

While this is Hunter Carpenter’s first experience directing a play of full length, he is far from new to the theatre stage.  Carpenter is a senior at UJ majoring in Fine Arts Theatre and Fine Arts Music.  In his last four years, he has acted in ten University productions and three regional professional productions, and has directed two one-act plays.  Carpenter says that he enjoys directing because he gets to observe the growth the actors experience throughout the entire process.  He loves watching a cohesive production come to life.

In speaking about the play, Carpenter notes that strong language is present in the play and advises against bringing young audiences.  However, for mature audiences who are interested, he says, “What better place to spend Valentine’s day weekend than the theatre?  This show has laughs, mystery, love, and drama.  If you like a story that makes you stop and think about society and your own personal life, then this is a must see.”

Dead Man’s Cell Phone will run February 14-16 at 7:30 pm.  Tickets can be purchased in advance at the UJ box office by emailing tickets@uj.edu, or by visiting the box office (open Mon-Fri 3-6pm in Reiland 130).

Tickets are free for students and staff.

UJ Choir Touring North Dakota; Minnesota

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By: Jacob Just

Stops through North Dakota and Minnesota are scheduled as part of the University of Jamestown Concert Choir’s tour during spring break.

The UJ Concert Choir, consisting of students of a variety of academic fields, will be touring across the two states March 3rd through 10th. Stops in North Dakota include Bismarck, Harvey, and Whapeton. Minnesota stops comprise of Crookston, Maple Grove, and Willmar. They will end their trip in Fargo.

The choir will be performing seven times during the week-long period.

There will also be a stop in Valley City on February 24th and in Jamestown on March 17th.

For a complete list of stops, as well as show times and locations, click here.

There is no cost to attend the concerts, but there will be a free-will offering available to offset costs.

The Right Place to Buy Books

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By: Tiffany Meier & Taylor Schnettler

College is expensive, even without all textbooks.

Still books are important for the college education and can be a huge expense if you do not know where to look. When buying textbooks, it is important to know that there is more than one place to purchase books.

It is also helpful to know these quick tips, which are things I wish I knew when I was purchasing textbooks for my first semester.

The first tip is once you have the list of required books; copy and paste the ISBN number straight from the UJ book website into the online book stores. This will allow you to compare prices, so that you get the best deal.

Next decide between buying or renting. The Jimmie Connection store does book buybacks at the end of the semester, so it will be easy to sell your books if you do decide to buy them. The return process is not difficult, but this decision is definitely something to keep in mind.

Also, always contact your professors beforehand to ask these questions: Can I buy an older version of a book?; Are there online codes that require me to buy a brand new book?; How frequently do we use said textbook?

Another thing to know is the best places to buy books. We highly recommend going on Facebook and joining the group, “Jimmie Underground Bookstore”. This is a site that UJ students use to sell textbooks and other supplies for classes. It is a great way to save money and meet other UJ students! If you do not want to join the Underground Bookstore, there are still many sites that offer cheaper textbooks. Some of these sites include: Chegg.com, Amazon.com, and thriftbooks.com.  

College is expensive. There is no way around it, but there are little shortcuts that cut down the hefty price. By following these tips and steps, purchasing textbooks will be a breeze!

From Japan to America, Akiya Pursuing Dream at UJ

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By Andy Reed

Kensaku (Ken) Akiya is not your average University of Jamestown Student.

Ken hails all the way from Tokyo, Japan where he was born and raised until he was 18 when he left to pursue his dream of a University education and collegiate level baseball.

Kens journey to America starts with a tryout of him, and other Japanese baseball players showcasing their skills to teams in the NWAC (Northwest Athletic Conference), Washington, Oregon and British Columbia’s elite junior college sports conference.

“We hopped on a plane and headed for Washington,” Ken explains. “I tried out for Edmonds, Tacoma, Centralia, Clark, Chemeketa and Skagit Valley. Every school we went to, we either got offered a spot right there, or we did not make the team. Every college wanted me, which made me very excited and gave me a lot of options to choose where I would go.”

Ken goes on about his choice, “Chemeketa’s head coach told me that I could be in the starting rotation right away if I signed, so it was a pretty easy decision.”

Chemeketa Community College is located in Salem, Oregon and is in the South Division of the NWAC..

Ken informed me that he did not speak English at all when he first got to Salem.

“The advisor told me what classes to take, I didn’t understand her, so I just said yes. Class didn’t really teach me English, my teammates did.”

Ken spent two years at Chemeketa and completed all his courses while playing baseball. He received his Associates in Arts and Sciences and became fluent in English. The journey was not over however, Ken had dreams of playing for a University and getting an Undergraduate Degree in Health and Fitness Administration.

Ken had offers from schools in NCAA Division 1, Division 2 and NAIA coming out of Chemeketa.

“University of Portland, Upper Iowa University, Western Oregon University, Concordia University, Corban University, Saint Martin’s University and University of Jamestown all offered me scholarships. I chose Jamestown because Coach Hager called me two or three times one week and he was very persuasive and persistent which made me feel like he really wanted me to play there.”

Ken signed his letter of intent and headed east to Jamestown, North Dakota. Ken moved into an apartment in Liechty Hall. His roommates are three other players from the NWAC, including myself.

Ken explains how he feels about Jamestown after having lived here for a little more than a semester, “It is very different here than anywhere I have ever been before. It is way too cold.”

Ken and the Jamestown Jimmies played 5 games in the fall. Ken started the 2nd game of fall against Valley City.

“I was very excited to start my first game against our rivals. I gave up 6 runs, but it is okay because we won.”

Ken has 5 innings under his belt with plenty of more to come. The future is very bright for this persistent young man with a dream.

Home Away From Home: Larson Center Stands Above Competition

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By Isaiah Sampson

The Larson Sports center was built in 1980 where it houses many of our athletic departments, exercise facilities, and classrooms.

In 2007, the school decided to make plans to accommodate inside training in the winter for teams such as track, baseball, and softball.

The 12,000 square foot addition was constructed later in the year. The school continued it’s plans to produce better facilities for our students by adding a brand new weight room in 2018.

The Foss Wellness Center was built in 2008 where all of the physical education and training resides. The center was a gift from Dr. Merle L. and Dr. Peggy J. Foss. Both contributed tremendously to the academic enrichment fund.

All of these additions to the school make the university stand out a little more from the competition.

My featured guest or better yet my model for the day was Daniel Deck.

Daniel was born in Phoenix, AZ where he learned to love and play football. From there, he started to get noticed by coaches because of his snapping skills. He attended Phoenix college first before getting recruited here. Once up here on his visit, Daniel said” this is way better weather than being in 125 degree weather”.

I don’t know why, but Daniel walks around campus in a short sleeve shirt and shorts almost everyday. So I guess he was serious about this being better weather than AZ.

Being born in Michigan and moving to Alabama was pretty rough for me and was a culture shock. But I can see where Daniel is coming from. If my hometown felt like hell 365 days out the year and then I moved to ND for school, I would be happy as well.

I asked Daniel how his old schools training facility compared to here.

“It was like going from a flip phone to the iPhone X,” he stated.

That’s a pretty big jump if you ask me.

The school is moving in the right directions into making this place the best it can be.

I can only imagine the steps they’re taking in the next 4-5 years to improve the school and its facilities. Not only in athletics, but the school as a whole.

  • Daniel Deck uses the Larson Center for his athletics. Photo: Isaiah Sampson
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