Where Did These Dollar Coins Come From?

Posted on September 9, 2014 by brent

Lunchtime rolled around today and I decided to leave the office to eat with the lunch crew (our graphic designers and our editor-in-chief). As we walked out the door I stopped at the vending machine to purchase a bag of Chex Mix. This particular machine is a new model and it accepts $5 bills. Hating to break such a bill in a vending machine but not having any singles, I slipped an Abraham Lincoln note through the slot and made my selection. What came out of the change slot was something I had never seen nor heard about before.

This vending machine was introduced a couple months ago. Each time I used it I always noticed the label announcing that it accepted $5 bills. The question of how change was returned always went through my head. Did it shoot back crisp dollar bills into the change slot? Did it go Vegas style and dump down 16 quarters? These are the stupid things that keep me up at night. Turns out I was wrong on both fronts.

This is the vending machine that I visit on a regular basis and that gave me a surprise today.

When I selected my Chex Mix a clinking sound filled the slot. Okay, part of the mystery is solved, it returns coins. But the sound didn’t signify a whole bunch of quarters. Before opening the door of the slot I thought I either had Sacajawea dollars waiting for me or I had been ripped off. Once again, wrong on both fronts.

What I picked up was something I had never seen before. In my hand were four goldish-looking coins with different cartoonish-looking portraits of the U.S. Presidents on each of them. On the back was a depiction of the Statue of Liberty with the signification that it was worth $1. Since I was a kid I have always loved different types of coins and bills so I was immediately fascinated and also a little confused. How had I never seen these before?

Me holding the four coins I was given from the vending machine.

I caught up with my four lunch partners who had already started walking to the building where we eat at and I showed them my change. Not one of them had ever seen these types of coins. Each one had a different portrait of a President…George Washington, William Harrison, Martin Van Buren, and Abraham Lincoln. My co-workers shared my astonishment as we discussed whether anyone would even accept them if I tried to make a purchase. When I returned from lunch I showed the coins to more people in my office. No one had ever seen them before! It spun my curiosity the whole afternoon.

An up close look at the four Presidential dollar coins I received.

I waited until I got home to do an internet search. I expected to learn that this was a new dollar coin initiative that just started up. So wrong again! I was amazed to find out that the Presidential $1 Coin Program started in 2007!! In a model that resembles the U.S. State Quarters Plan, select coins are introduced annually. Specifically, four Presidents each year come out on the $1 coins. The issuing goes according to chronological order. In 2014, Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and FDR have all been released. Presidents must be dead at least two years before having their image minted so most likely the program will end in 2016 with Ronald Reagan.

For someone who loves the United States Presidents and currency as much as me, I still can’t believe I have been completely ignorant to this program for seven years. However, maybe I should say just four years. You see, in 2011, the government decided to stop minting the coins for circulation, opting to just release smaller amounts for collectors. Although I am a fan of currency, I don’t collect it. My full intention is to spend these coins but the question remains…will retailers look at me with confused faces when I present them as payment?

A look at the front and back of a Presidential dollar coin.

What a cool little lunch discovery today. If you have any experiences with these coins, please let me know. It is crazy how little publicity this program garnered. I will let you know how my transactions with this type of money goes. But, if you want a piece of history and are willing to pay me double for them, I will definitely take your offer. Don’t Blink.

Why Dum Dums Are Special to Me

Posted on September 8, 2014 by brent

Starting this school year, the Coastal Carolina University campus went tobacco-free. While most people immediately think of the students, and as they should, others are impacted as well. In my office I have the privilege of working with a fine editor named Joanna. She is a longtime smoker. When the tobacco ban took effect, she had to figure out some way to make it through the day.

In a drawer in Joanna’s office is a gigantic 300-piece bag of Dum Dums lollipops. When a craving comes she tears the wrapper off one of the suckers and pops it into her mouth. Although I can only imagine how much it pales in comparison to the satisfaction that a shot of nicotine would provide her with, she is making it through the day. Although Joanna doesn’t have plans to quit smoking now, she is doing her part to make our campus tobacco-free while at work.

Joanna and her BIG bag of Dum Dums.

The best part about Joanna’s Dum Dums regimen? She hooks me up with all the suckers I want! That’s right, on my desk I have a supply container that is filled with Dum Dums. I like them because they give my desk area a little bit of color. I like them because when I forget to bring gum they provide me with an alternative breath saver. I like them because in the middle of a long day they provide me with a little bit of relief. But I like them most of all because they let me reminisce.

These are the Dum Dums on my desk that Joanna gave me.

My family owned an Italian restaurant in Walla Walla, Washington. Called the Pastime Cafe, my grandpa and uncle ran the place all through my childhood. Before my grandpa and uncle, my great grandpa operated the place. The restaurant was in operation for over 80 years, all under the ownership of my mom’s family (the Fazzari family…can you get more Italian than that?)

The Pastime Café, the restaurant I grew up in.

Anyway, when you walked into the restaurant there was a glass counter case directly to your right that contained every candy bar you could think of. Sitting behind the glass case was the person who operated the antique cash register (usually my Aunt Becky). The register rested to the left of my aunt, and underneath it was a sliding wooden door. Inside that wooden door were two things: Dum Dums and Andes mints. Now I loved both of those candies, but the Dum Dums hold more sentimental value for me.

This is my great grandpa at the cash register. As you can barely see, the glass counter case is visible at the very bottom of the picture. The wooden door is also visible.

After we ate dinner my mom would let us pick out a candy bar (we could only eat half of it) and also choose a Dum Dums. Back then there weren’t 16 flavors like there are now but it didn’t matter because my brother and I would always pick out the same one over and over: The Mystery Flavor!! Wrapped in paper with purple question marks all over it, my bro and I thought it was the coolest option. Of course I look back on it now and think what idiots we were; why not just choose a flavor we really liked instead of leaving it up to complete chance? Dumb kids.

Me with some Dum Dums.

For the hundreds of times I ate at the Pastime and the numerous times I went with my grandpa on Sundays when the restaurant was closed, I always got a Dum Dums sucker. I became convinced that our restaurant was keeping the Dum Dums factory in business.

As a 27-year old man, I no longer think that Dum Dums are unique to a small Italian restaurant in Walla Walla, Washington. However, you better believe that whenever I suck on one I immediately think of some of the best memories of my childhood. To get some of those sweet thoughts while living 3,000 miles away from “the town so nice they named it twice” is pretty cool and comforting. Thanks for the suckers, Joanna. Don’t Blink.

Watching College Football at The Citadel

Posted on August 31, 2014 by brent

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go on a little road trip to watch some college football. With Coastal Carolina opening the season against The Citadel, a military college in Charleston, South Carolina, I knew I wanted to make the short two hour drive. At around 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sidney and I hit the road.

We arrived in Charelston at around 3 p.m. that afternoon. With kickoff at 6 p.m., Sidney and I went to a neighborhood bar called Moe’s to pass the time. In between appetizers and drinks, the bar staff was nice enough to turn on the Montana-Wyoming football game for us. It was a thrill for me to watch the first half of the game and see players, coaches, and athletic department officials who I used to see on a daily basis but hadn’t seen in over four months.

When the second quarter of the Montana game concluded, we made the walk to Johnson Hagood Stadium, home of The Citadel Bulldogs. We arrived right in time to watch the cadets march inside the stadium. As we entered the front gate of the facility we were greeted by the fierce bulldog sculpture that stands guard. We walked inside the stadium and after some confusion in the concourse we got re-directed to the opposite concourse where we eventually found our seats.

The Cadets marching in and Sidney and I outside by the bulldog.

What stands out about Johnson Hagood Stadium is the castle-like structure built behind the south endzone. Or, as Sidney corrected me, the fortress looking structure. Castle or fortress, it looks really cool and definitely gives a distinguishing look to the stadium. Besides looking sweet it serves a very practical role as it houses locker rooms and athletic department offices. Another unique part about the stadium are three sections located in the southwest corner. This area serves as the cadet section and as all of them are dressed in their white uniforms, it looks really neat. Finally, there is a lot of history with Johnson Hagood. As I read on its Wikipedia page, soldiers were once buried underneath the stadium. If you have time, read the history.

A photo I snapped of the south endzone.

As far as the fan experience it was very traditional. Until the very end of the game there was no canned music. The bands played the whole time. They don’t incorporate very many video board elements and in-game advertisements over the public address were kept to a minimum. It was pretty much just football.

The Cadets filled the three sections last night.

Some other things to note: The stadium seats 21,000 and the playing surface is grass. After the game Sidney and I walked around on it. Although I never heard an official attendance number, I would estimate that there were probably 13,000 people there. Coastal Carolina traveled really well, both in fans and students. Thanks to two buses that took our students to the game free of charge, a whole section was filled just with them. Fans filled up another section plus some of another.

A look at some of the game action.

As for the game, Coastal Carolina controlled the contest the whole way through and won 31-16. Afterwards the public address announcer gave the cadets instructions on when they had to report in for the night. He gave a time for the seniors and juniors, a slightly earlier time for the sophomores, and then told the freshmen to retire back to the barracks immediately. It drew laughs.

Sidney and I on the field after the game. We had a good time. GO CHANTS!

I had a good time yesterday supporting my new university on the road. I am eager to travel to other away sites as well and cheer on the Chanticleers. Being able to do these things as a fan is a new concept for me and I am relishing the opportunity. Go Chants! Don’t Blink.

Worst Marriage Proposal EVER + Gators

Posted on August 28, 2014 by brent

It is Thursday night so that means it is time for me to zip through five topics. It is also opening night of college football so that means I have to go even faster than usual. So just like a wide receiver trying to get past that cornerback it is time to fly!

Tacky Proposal – This was beyond bad. This past Tuesday night, Sidney and I went to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans baseball game. After one of the innings a man brought his girlfriend on top of the home team dugout, got down on one knee, and proposed to her. Playing over the public address system was “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston. I hate to criticize but my idea of a classy proposal is not in the middle of a Single A minor league baseball game. Kudos to him because she said yes, but I think that marriage is probably doomed.

Alligator on the Loose – Our students blew up social media this past week when an alligator crept out from one of our ponds on campus. Students took photos of the gator and posted on Twitter with captions such as “My college has a pet gator, how about yours?” and “I literally almost jumped into this pond last night.” For me, this was just another reminder that I no longer live in the northwest. While I know that I am living in gator country now, I didn’t realize they would be on campus! I must say it is pretty cool.

This was one of the pictures taken of the gator. It is much bigger up close but this was the only photo I could find after doing a quick Twitter search (photo courtesy of @LHSfootball67).

Finding A Needle in a Haystack – After the baseball game on Tuesday night, Sidney and I stopped at a gas station. I went inside the store to purchase a bottled water when suddenly I saw something that made me freak out. On the bottom of the energy drink section was a fully stocked row of Xyience energy drinks. As I have explained before, there is no energy drink that comes even remotely close to the effect and taste of Xyience. Headquartered in Las Vegas, I thought I would never see one again when I moved to the South. Let me tell you, it was like Christmas for me on Tuesday night! I consume energy drinks on a sparingly basis so I haven’t cracked one open yet but when I do it is going to be a nice taste of home.

I was so excited when I found Xyience that I had to take a selfie with it outside of the gas station.

College Football Begins – When it comes to sports, there is nothing that I love more than college football. In my opinion, I don’t think there is anything better. Making this season extra special is the fact that for the first time in five years I won’t be pouring my soul into working for one team. While I will still be rooting hard for the Griz, I won’t be working hard for them anymore. I am a fan now. The stress-free fun starts tonight!

These are the college football teams I root for.

Movies Watched – Since last Thursday I have watched the following movies: “Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For,” “When the Game Stands Tall,” “The Quiet Ones,” “Cheap Thrills,” and “Fugitive at 17.” All those listed movies were either bad or mediocre except for “Cheap Thrills.” Much like the movie “13 Sins,” the film chronicles the crazy and harmful things people will do for money. You have to understand my twisted brain though. While I did enjoy the movie, it made Sidney sick to her stomach. Let’s just say “Cheap Thrills” is unrated for a reason.

I saw “Sin City” and “When the Game Stands Tall” on the same night in different theaters last Friday.

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College football season here we go!! Go Chants, Go Griz, Go Cougs, and Go Irish!! Who do you got? Don’t Blink.

The #HappyCCU Video

Posted on August 26, 2014 by brent

The #HappyCCU Video

Very rarely does a high-quality production turn around so quickly. However, at Coastal Carolina University it does.

Classes started here on campus last Monday. At the end of the week prior to school starting, Bill Plate, our Associate Vice President for University Communication, had an idea. Inspired by the success that some other universities had with showcasing campus life with a certain wildly popular song, he believed that CCU would also generate enthusiasm and pride doing something similar. He was right on.

Several universities out east have featured their students and faculty/staff dancing to the song “Happy” by Pharrell. These videos show the university community dancing at different spots all over campus. With smiles and interesting/awkward/questionable moves, the videos paint the picture of joyful and beautiful learning institutions. Even though everyone already knows that Coastal is a joyful and beautiful place, we wanted to drive home the point even more.

On Tuesday of last week Bill, Martha, our video crew, and myself sat down for a meeting. We discussed the project and the locations that we wanted to film. Our award-winning video team then went to work.

During the hottest and one of the busiest weeks of the year our video guys outdid themselves. Going all around campus in the brutal heat while convincing students to dance on camera, they logged plenty of long, hot hours. Besides the impromptu video shoots they also organized and executed several planned shoots as well. With the “Happy” song playing in their heads when they went to bed at night, the project really started to come together. Only a few days after that Tuesday morning meeting most of the shooting was completed. Then came of course the significant task of editing all of the dancing, moving, and grooving into an organized piece.

Yesterday afternoon, the video guys invited all of us in University Communication to come over to their stomping grounds of Hampton Hall for a premiere showing. We sat down, Bryan Stalvey (video mastermind) gave us an introduction, and then we watched the 2:24 minute piece. When the screen went dark there was an enthusiastic round of applause and a unanimous request to play it again.

Rather than talk about the parts in the video that make it so great, I will just let you watch it. The whole piece screams Coastal. It is fresh, well-done, and logical. I have seen several of these videos and the version put together by Coastal Carolina University is one of the best. Our social media audience thinks so too. With over 200 shares and 3,000 views, the Coastal community gave this project two thumbs up.

Credit to Bill for pushing to have this project done and credit/respect/thankfulness to our video team for putting in an amazing effort and creating a truly awesome piece. Coastal Carolina University just became even more attractive to prospective students. Don’t Blink.

Five Topics in 500 Words

Posted on August 21, 2014 by brent

After a hiatus last week as I ran with a different blog post, it is time to revert back to the multi-topic Thursday tradition. It is time for five topics in 500 words. Let’s get right to it.

Unfortunate Wal-Mart Run: The week got off to a hectic start on Monday morning. Just as I was about to arrive at the CCU campus for my workout, I realized I was missing something. For the first time ever I had forgotten my work shirt (I wear my gym clothes to campus and pack my work clothes to change into later). With it totally out of the question to make the long commute back to my place to grab my shirt I unfortunately had to make a 5:45 a.m. run to Wal-Mart. I busted in, almost blindly picked out a random tacky polo, and left. For $17 I had outfitted myself for the day.

Me wearing the Wal-Mart polo on Monday, I actually received two compliments on it!

Darius Rucker: This Saturday I have the privilege of covering the Darius Rucker concert at the HTC Center on our campus. Many outsiders won’t understand what a huge deal this is to our university. The community has eagerly anticipated this concert for months now. As I spent four years around huge concert productions while working at Montana, I can confidently say that people here have treated the Darius show in the same way that the concerts of major stars were treated when I was in Missoula. I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to work this special show on Saturday night.

Jobs For People Close to Me: Last week came great news on the employment front for my brother and girlfriend. Both people were offered jobs in their chosen fields. Glen accepted an offer to become the Recreation Supervisor at the Northeast Youth Center. On the other side of the country, Sidney signed on for a second grade teaching position at Palmetto Bays School. It was truly great to see people who are close to me have their hard work and education pay off with full time positions.

Sidney and I in her classroom at Palmetto Bays School

Busy Time: The fall semester started at Coastal Carolina University this past Monday. Talk about a change in night and day! Campus is buzzing with students and activity. I have had an incredible week attending events and functions as students mark the return to Coastal. In probably my most memorable instance from this week, I took the photo of 101 different student groups in the span of 50 minutes at yesterday’s Club Recruitment Day. In under an hour I had the privilege of meeting probably around 300 students. With the heat index over 100 we were all sweating bullets but it was fun and rewarding.

A few of the many student group photos I took on Wednesday for Coastal’s Club Recruitment Day.

Movies Watched: In the past several days I have watched the following movies: “Locke,” “Transcendance,” “The Midnight Game,” and “Repentance.” Out of the four, my favorites were “Locke” and “The Midnight Game.” The movie “Locke” is shot entirely in a car with only one character! “The Midnight Game” is a horror movie centered on a group of teens who participate in a pagan ritual and things go haywire. Don’t bother with “Transcendance” and “Repentance.”

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There you have it! I am done. Have a great weekend, everyone. I will report on the Darius Rucker concert sometime next week. Thank you for your continued support of myself and this blog. Don’t Blink.

A Social Media Campaign Months in the Making: #CCUfamily

Posted on August 19, 2014 by brent

Yesterday, #CCUSocialMedia officially kicked off an ambitious campaign called #CCUfamily. Designed to run every single school day of the semester, the campaign will thoroughly spotlight a Coastal student each day through our various social networks and website. Believe it or not, #CCUfamily has been in the makings for five months.

Yesterday, the #CCUfamily campaign made its debut (graphic created by the talented Daniel Mableton).

When I came to Coastal Carolina University in March for my on-site interview I was instructed to devise a social media campaign for the school and present it to the hiring committee. It was in my Missoula apartment that I drafted #CCUfamily. I worked hard to plan the campaign and work out how all the pieces would compliment each other. When I pitched my idea to the hiring committee I won points for the feasibility and organization of it. I promised that if hired I would follow through in implementing the campaign exactly how I presented it. I am now making good on that promise.

Inside my vision for #CCUSocialMedia was a section devoted to #CCUfamily.

Camille Hurley, a senior student-athlete from Chicago, was my first featured student on Monday when the 2014-15 academic year started. Scrambling to put the finishing touches on the website, Camille’s face was all over our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube channels by 3 p.m. Each different outlet features a different image and fact about the featured student. However, while the social media outlets present different information they all drive the user to the #CCUfamily website where they can get a complete profile on the student.

Camille Hurley kicked off the #CCUSA campaign on Monday. This was the Facebook post.

I have found out over the past two days that I might have underestimated the work load just a little bit with this campaign. For each day this semester I will have to play web designer, video editor, journalist, and of course social media manager.

And that is just for getting the daily feature up each day.

A lot of prep work has/will go into this as well. I receive names of students worthy of this recognition from fellow Coastal employees. I compile those names and send them through the Dean of Students for approval. Once given the okay I start reaching out to the students and asking them if they want to participate. After sending them a questionnaire I set up a time to meet with them. During those individual meetings I take photos and shoot the Youtube video. As of right now I have completed 10 of these meetings and have about 60 more to go.

To be 100% honest, my favorite part of this campaign has nothing to do with social media. Although the original intent was based solely on introducing something cool for #CCUSocialMedia I am loving #CCUfamily for an entirely different reason: I get to meet our students. Only 10 interviews through and I am already blown away and rejuvenated by the maturity, humility, and drive of the #CCU student body. These students call me Mr. Reser, act graciously, and express honor at the opportunity to participate in the campaign. I have walked away from each interview feeling so happy to be on this campus.

To follow the #CCUfamily campaign, click here. On Instagram and Twitter our handle is @CCUChanticleers. If Facebook is your thing, click here. Don’t forget to watch the short 90 second videos either. Our Youtube channel can be accessed by clicking here. I am excited to share the students of Coastal Carolina University in a very cool and descriptive way throughout the next several months. Don’t Blink.

Ladies Huddle

Posted on August 18, 2014 by brent

While working at Montana, one of my favorite events we put on was called Huddles and Heels. It was a football clinic offered by the Griz coaching staff for our women fan base. It was always a great time of on-field drills, tours, food, fundraising for charity, and shenanigans. If you read my blog post from three years ago, you will get the picture on the good time that was had by all.

This is me and my former boss, Christie Anderson, at the 2011 Huddles and Heels.

This evening I had the special opportunity to see how my new school does it as the Coastal Carolina football team held its annual Ladies Huddle. I covered the event for our social media outlets and enjoyed every single minute of it.

Although the Coastal Carolina clinic wasn’t as hands-on or crazy as Montana’s version it was all balanced out by one factor: Joe Moglia. This man is the head coach of the Chant football team and by now his story is well known throughout college football. After an initial coaching stint he became an immensely successful businessman, earning millions of dollars. Then, just like that, he got back into football. His path eventually led to Coastal Carolina. If there is one thing you need to know about this man it is this…he can SPEAK!

Notice how I just didn’t say talk. I said SPEAK. I was blown away by how he could relay and articulate information, stories, and concepts. He was motivating, inspiring, and funny. Every single woman in that room loved him.

Coach Moglia at tonight’s Ladies Huddle.

That room I speak of was the third floor of the Adkins Fieldhouse. Overlooking the football field and with the school’s hall of fame plaques on the wall it was a cool setting. A large food spread and bar was at the disposal of the participants. Joining Coach Moglia was his whole coaching staff. After saying a few opening remarks and introducing his staff, the program really got underway.

A look at the setup of this evening’s Ladies Huddle event.

Coach Moglia had his Director of Football Operations George Glenn talk for a few minutes. I found this part very interesting because Glenn talked about the trip to Montana and the methods he used to keep the players warm during that December day in Missoula. He mentioned a couple times that it was -28 when the team hopped off the plane and -5 at kickoff. He noted that many of his players had never worn a winter jacket before. He described the number of torpedo heaters used, the way players on the sideline would give up jackets when active players would run off the field, and the layers the team suited up in. He revealed that the team drank boiling hot chicken broth. I found it all interesting.

A panel was held with the wives of the coaches.

The star quarterback and stud defensive player made an appearance. The offensive coordinator delivered a session on signals used during the game. The wives of the coaches came up for a Q&A session as they fielded questions from the audience on what it is like to be married to men of such a demanding profession. Then Coach Moglia returned and really opened up. He went through the way he recruits his student-athletes. He explained exactly what the structure is for the recruiting visits and shared what he tells the prospective athletes. He then spoke at length on how he treats his own players. He detailed his famous BAM (Be A Man) philosophy. He opened up the floor for questions and addressed everything from the NFL to moving up to the FBS to recruits that don’t pan out. Coach Moglia did all this with charm and confidence.

Offensive Coordinator Dave Patenaude talked about play signals during the clinic.

So what did this evening do for me? It got me even more excited for football season! As a proud season ticket holder I am eager to see the Chanticleers defend their Big South Conference title and make a deep run into the playoffs. The Ladies Huddle was a great way for me to see the men who will be calling the shots for that title defense this fall. August 30 can’t get here soon enough. Don’t Blink.

Five Reasons Why My Work Week Rocked

Posted on August 7, 2014 by brent

The first 100 days of my new job have passed by quickly. However, the feeling of excitement and thankfulness that I had at the beginning has not passed quickly. It is as strong as ever. This week has been great. Staying true to my Thursday rapid-fire topic theme I will once again jump from subject to subject but it will all relate to this week at Coastal Carolina University.

Social Media Dream Team Meeting – One of my tasks in my position is to meet with my fellow social media leaders on campus. After sending out twice-a-month e-mail updates to this group we call the “Dream Team,” we finally had our first face-to-face meeting on Monday morning. I had the pleasure of sitting down with some of the major social media players at CCU including: our athletics marketing director, our dean of students, our celebrity dining services director, the leader of CCU’s student customer service program, and our assistant alumni director. We talked for almost 90 minutes about social media (and some other issues) at Coastal Carolina. Although I was running the meeting I probably spoke the least but learned the most. It was awesome.

CCUSA on WMBF – On Tuesday I was humbled when WMBF reporter Mandy Noell called me up and asked if she could do a story on our CCUSA campaign. Absolutely! It didn’t take long for Mandy to get to campus, take the footage she needed inside our offices, and then interview me outside of the Singleton Building. While I thought that my terrible news interviews ended in Montana they unfortunately carried over to South Carolina as well. No matter, Mandy was a true professional and pretty much washed away my awkwardness on camera with an awesome report, one that was praised by our own media legend, Martha Hunn. I was very thankful for the coverage that WMBF gave us. Click here to view the story.

Mandy Noell from WMBF interviews me about CCU Social Media (Thanks to Mona Prufer for the photo).

On Camera Again – On Wednesday, Kevin Olivett of Chanticleer Athletics invited me to go around and help cover a pretty cool deal. Athletic Director Matt Hogue and Chauncey were presenting Big South Conference football championship rings to staff members who were season ticket holders. Along with the video guy from athletics I would take video/photos when we would enter the offices. Well, I was given quite the surprise when the camera was turned in my direction. Before I knew it, Matt was presenting me with two rings. You see, I had recently become a Chant football season ticket holder. However, I thought the ring promotion was just for people who had season tickets during the actual 2013 championship season. Nope! Click here to see my reaction.

My surprised face as I stand between Coastal Carolina University Athletic Director Matt Hogue and Chauncey.

Board of Trustees Meeting – Today I was invited by my boss, Associate Vice President Bill Plate, to attend his presentation to the Board of Trustees. He told me that he wanted to introduce me to these extremely important individuals. Only he did a little more than just that. After he asked me to stand for the formal introduction he proceeded to build me up incredibly in front of the Board. He explained the whole CCUSA campaign, talked about some of the other things I am doing, and mentioned the increases our social media program has seen in the past few months. I felt so honored! It made my whole week and made me walk out of work with a huge smile on my face.

A photo from today’s Board of Trustees meeting.

Graduation on Saturday – This Saturday morning Coastal will hold its summer commencement. When I started working at CCU at the beginning of May I arrived just in time for spring commencement. I had such a fun time working that event and although the summer graduation is much smaller I am looking forward to the occasion. It will put an exclamation point on a magnificent week for me.

Myself at the CCU spring graduation in May.

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I hope many of you out there like your job as much as me. I am truly blessed. Have a great evening! Don’t Blink.

The Insignficant Five

Posted on July 31, 2014 by brent

Thank you all for joining me for another Thursday. As usual I have prepared five topics to breeze through. Here we go!

First Time Doing This in South Carolina: Yesterday I went and had something done for the first time since moving to the South. Feeling a little like a bum and not in line with the beach dude type persona, I went and got my hair cut. Not knowing the area too well and wanting to get a really nice cut since I work in the administrative building on campus I put a lot of thought into where I wanted to go. After numerous referrals and internet searches I found my place…it is called Great Clips.

Call me tacky but I am a Great Clips guy. I went to the store and got right in. To make things even sweeter they had all my past haircut information from Missoula in their computer. I had a delightful conversation with my stylist Shelley and she managed to make an ugly guy look just a little bit less ugly.

I went and got my hair cut yesterday at Great Clips in Myrtle Beach.

“Lucy”: Last Friday night, Sidney and I went to the movie “Lucy.” Starring Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman it was an extremely entertaining film. Touching on the concept of human beings only using 10% of their brains it hypothesized on what would happen if a drug existed that enabled 100% usage. While some of the science-fiction went a little over my head there was no denying the action, acting, and storyline exhibited in the film. Some of the scenes were incredible. If you want a fresh and entertaining movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat for an hour and a half I highly recommend “Lucy.” It is a good one to see in the theaters.

Do yourself a favor and go see “Lucy.”

Tobacco Free: Last week for my Coastal Carolina University update I brought news about the change of beverage provider from Coke to Pepsi. Tonight I am happy to report that tomorrow the CCU campus will go tobacco-free. You have to understand that many places in the South still hold very tightly to certain things. Using tobacco is one of them. While many universities across the country went tobacco free long ago you will find campuses in this area that are resistant to making such a change. Because of this, tomorrow is a big deal. Personally I am ecstatic. This makes our campus healthier and more beautiful. I work right next to the woman who over the past three months has educated our campus on the changes and options that will result from this big move. Let me tell you, her and others have put a lot into making this initiative successful. Bring on August 1!

The Unexplained: I am a big enough loser to pay $10 for a nerdy magazine while standing in line at a CVS. This past weekend I purchased “Mysteries of the Unknown,” a special edition magazine published by Time. The over 90-page publication had stories on everything from ESP to the Bermuda Triangle to vampires to haunted houses to spontaneous human combustion to Bigfoot. I eagerly read every page of the book and enjoyed reading the arguments both for and against the different phenomena. In the magazine I found the articles dealing with Harry Houdini, “The 27 Club,” and the UFO sightings at Chicago’s O’Hare airport especially interesting. If you are interested in weird stuff like this let me know and I will pass on the magazine to you (please save yourself the $10).

I enjoyed reading this magazine!

Funny Feeling: In the intercollegiate athletics world, August 1 is the widely recognized date where the party is over and the beginning of a period of seven or eight months starts where you won’t see the light of day because you are working so long and hard. For the first time in several years I am not under that type of pressure. Sure, things are starting to heat up a lot in my new position but it isn’t the overwhelming feeling you get once August rolls around in intercollegiate athletics. Safe to say I am absolutely content with where I am now.

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I got one very exciting weekend planned! I will try to fill you all in on it with a short blog post tomorrow. Until then, have a great Thursday evening. Don’t Blink.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

Tag Archives: Coastal Carolina University