Top Stories

Ursinus News

News Archive
Featured Video

Welcome Back, Students!

 

Welcome back, students! Ursinus College is proud to welcome a new class of Bears to campus. Traditional “Welcome Week” activities featured special events, a convocation ceremony with guest performers, and of course, the first-year student’s first official CIE class.

See more videos
 The Ursinus Big List
Aidan Nadell ’25

Top 10 Things I Learned at Mascot Camp

Aidan Nadell ’25 | Gold Ambassador and Mascot
It’s perhaps the college’s worst-kept secret that Aidan is the face behind the fur at athletic, admission, and alumni events. Here he breaks down lessons learned at a two-day summer camp for collegiate, high school, and professional mascots. Who says you can’t teach an old Bear new tricks?
  1. Do NOT Dry Clean
    Dry cleaning or placing the costume in a dryer can melt the fur. The costume (turned inside out) can be washed on the delicate cycle and hung to dry.
  2. Hydrate Days in Advance
    I sweat 5 to 7 pounds as the mascot over the course of a football game. I have to start hydrating days before wearing the costume because drinking a high volume of water quickly would just flush my system.

  3. Show Situational Awareness
    Being a mascot is a great test of emotional intelligence. It requires you to know body language and respond to unprecedented events on the fly.

  4. Get a Comb to Keep Fur Looking Fine
    If you leave the costume alone while hanging it to dry, the fur will clump together. I use a brush to make sure the fur is even and a box fan to speed the drying process.

  5. “Yes, it’s hot in here.” – A.J. Moss
    This one is pretty self-explanatory.

  6. Mascots Are Athletes
    Humans are not designed to be in fur-lined costumes for extended periods of time. Just like the athletes on the field, I need to take care of my body to optimize performance.

  7. Set Aside Rivalries
    By befriending other mascots, you can set up joint events for more publicity. During mascot camp, I performed at a minor league baseball game as part of a birthday party for Downtown, mascot of the York Revolution.

  8. Drink Pickle Juice
    It’s important to replenish electrolytes lost when profusely sweating. Gatorade does the trick too, but pickle juice is a straight shot of electrolytes without all of the added sugar.

  9. Watch Videos of Wild Bears
    As ridiculous as it may sound, it helps to watch videos of the animal you are portraying to pick up their mannerisms.

  10. When in Need, Fake a Sneeze
    Much like an apple a day keeps the doctor away, a fake sneeze does the same for small cubs who become a little too paws-on with the costume.

Sycamore Stories

What’s the Frequency, Chris?

Emergency Management Coordinator Chris Wilcox is a ham radio operator who makes connections all over the world through a hobby that brought the world closer together long before social media and cell phones.
Chris Wilcox operating his ham radio.

Self-taught Academic Coach Helps 123K Followers Learn to Study

As a student in high school, Dora Zeibekis ’24 struggled with biology. At Ursinus, she excels as a biology (and Spanish) major. If you think she likely has good advice to share on improving one’s study habits, you’re in good company: She has 123,000 followers on Instagram who agree. Known as @coffeestudi, Zeibekis offers study tips and academic coaching.
Dora Zeibekis ’24

Twin Spirits

Surrealist artist and Donald E. Camp Award winner Kelsey Gavin ’22 spun her collection of paintings into a significant scholarship at her dream graduate school. This fall, she is pursuing her master’s degree at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts (PAFA), the alma mater of her lifelong inspiration, David Lynch.

Kelsey Gavin and her mom.

Faculty Research & Inquiry

From the Magazine

To Conserve and Protect

In 2022, Ursinus College became the first liberal arts institution in the world to sign the international Okanagan Charter, signifying a holistic commitment to the well-being of people, places, and planet. Partnerships such as the one that has developed between the environmental studies department and the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy is just one example of this commitment in action. (pictured: Jessie Kemper ’12 and Beth Myers ’17 with Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy Executive Director Ryan Beltz)
conserve and protect 3

What’s the Buzz? The Hive Expands Ursinus’s Wellness Services

When President Hannigan signed the Okanagan Charter last fall, Ursinus embarked on a mission to embed health and well-being into all aspects of campus culture—for students and employees—and to lead health promotion action and collaboration locally and globally.  One of the most visible and tangible ways in which we’re going to do that is through The Hive, a brand-new flex space next to the Wellness Center that will greatly enhance the way we deliver wellness services to our students and colleagues. Watch the Video
The Hive
See the latest issue
Ursinus Events

What’s Happening Now

Events on the Ursinus campus and beyond.

See full calendar

Ursinus in the news

The Top 50 Women Leaders in Education of 2023

President Robyn Hannigan was included in Women We Admire’s list of “The Top 50 Women Leaders in Education of 2023.” Read it here.

Is embracing freudenfreude the key to better friendships?

The research of Professor of Psychology Cathy Chambliss on freudenfreude (finding pleasure in another’s good fortune) was featured in a Reader’s Digest article. Read it here.

It’s time to take the fast track to #DiscoverBMB!

Professor of Biology Rebecca Roberts was quoted in an article for ASBSB Today, the member magazine for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Read it here.

Athletic News

  • October 1, 2023 at 4:04pm

    Women’s Golf Finishes 8th at Dickinson Fall Invite

  • September 30, 2023 at 7:59pm

    Men’s Tennis Competes at ITA Regionals, Jespersen Earns 50th Career Win

  • September 30, 2023 at 5:46pm

    Women’s Soccer Battles Washington College to 0-0 Draw

  • September 30, 2023 at 4:38pm

    Washington College Outlasts Men’s Soccer

  • September 30, 2023 at 12:10pm

    Women’s Cross Country Races at Paul Short Run

  • September 30, 2023 at 11:30am

    Men’s Cross Country Finishes Seventh at Paul Short Run

See more athletics news
Life After Ursinus

Episode 5: Taking a Leap of Faith

For the first time ever, Ursinus goes global - all the way to Doha, Qatar where 2009 alumnus Andrew Clark shares his experience in digital marketing in the Middle East. Now based in Baltimore, Andrew discusses how taking a leap of faith paid off.


View All Episodes

Submit a Story

This is the introduction text for the story submission form.

required text field
required e-mail address field
text field
text field
textarea field
file attachment field
(50 MB max)