Joe Miner’s big break

For most, summer is a time for vacations and relaxation. But at Missouri S&T, one individual sees summer as a time to get ready for the upcoming semester. Mascot Joe Miner uses every minute of down time during the break to support his students.

Before students arrive for the first day of class, Joe takes care of all the things he doesn’t have time for during the busy school year. Here’s what Joe Miner did this summer:

Getting an edge

The first thing Joe did was visit the Student Design and Experiential Learning Center to sharpen his pickax. After a long school year, it was getting dull.

Cleaning up

Then, Joe cleaned the statue of St. Patrick on campus. Located outside the Curtis Laws Wilson Library, St. Pat withstands the elements all year-round. Joe thought Pat could use a little touch-up.

Mining for cards

Joe realized his Minercard was missing, so he went straight to the Minercard ID office in Room 106 of Centennial Hall to get a new one. His pose was not accepted for the ID.

Pumping up

To keep up with the strenuous demands of mascothood, Joe works out at the Student Recreation Center. Here he checks his pulse to make sure his heart rate stays in his target zone.

Study time

Joe works hard, plays hard and studies hard. He visited the Curtis Laws Wilson Library every single day during the summer to check out a new book.

Packing a punch

Joe helped the Army ROTC Stonehenge Battalion cannon crew clean the World War II-era pack howitzer outside Harris Hall. The cannon, which uses 10- and 12-gauge blanks, is fired at all home football games when the Miners score.

Keeping the books

Joe also worked in the Leach Theatre Box Office during the summer. He took a lot of calls once 2015-16 season tickets went on sale.

Back to basics

Joe Miner also helped the faculty get ready to teach again. Here, he provides some math tips to Dr. Matt Insall, associate professor of mathematics and statistics at S&T. It was the quietest lecture ever given.

By Peter Ehrhard