Fifty years from now, future students of Northern Michigan University will have the opportunity to open a time capsule filled with remnants of the lives we are living on-campus in 2014.

Campus historian and professor of history, Russ Magnaghi, Ph.D., will be speaking at the time capsule burial. Magnaghi said, to his knowledge, this will be the fourth time capsule buried at NMU.

“When we have these traditions like the Heart of Northern and so on, it links the students by having this sense of place, and knowing what was there,” Magnaghi said. “Instead of just walking across the campus and saying, ‘What’s this building? God it doesn’t look so great, if you know some of the history then…it connects the individual to the past and to their present location.”

With the sponsorship of the Associated Students of Northern Michigan University (ASNMU), there will be a 19-by-15-by-8 inch time capsule buried on campus.

The event has been scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 at the Heart of Northern, located just outside of the new Jamrich building.

According to ASNMU president Katerina Klawes, the capsule is intended to represent the student community. Klawes said it is also an opportunity to share life at NMU in 2014 with future students.

“This is a great event for both students and staff to attend,” Klawes said. “It’s really about Wildcat pride and it talks about all the things we hold dear in the community.

“We’re able to share that for future generations. We look at it epitomizing the events of our lifetime and the events on campus.” Klawes said there will be free food and commemorative gifts at the event.

The time capsule is scheduled to include an NMU ID card, a printed copy of current faculty members and photos of the Jamrich buildings and the design plans. The time capsule is also set to include a cell phone, copies of Northern Border, Horizons and The North Wind.

In addition, students were able to submit statements about their time at NMU to The North Wind Website. The deadline to submit stories was Wednesday evening, Sept. 24. Among the submitted statements, 10 student statements will be selected to be included in the time capsule.

In addition, 10 faculty statements, a map of campus and a credit card, among other items, will be included in the time capsule. In addition to Magnaghi, NMU President Fritz Erickson, Ph.D., history professor Chet DeFonso, Ph.D., a Board of Trustees representative and a member of the Alumni Association are all expected to speak at the event.

Freshman ASNMU representative Brianna Wright verified the list of speakers expected to participate in the time capsule burial. “NMU students, faculty and notable members in the community are all going to gather at the Heart of Northern and it’s going to be a big ceremony to commemorate the history of Northern, as well as what’s going on now,” Wright said. “There’s a big time capsule that’s being buried for 50 years, so each item going in is very meaningful and plays some role in campus life.

“I think it’ll create a positive atmosphere and just take pride in Northern, [that’s] what it’s all about.”

Magnaghi said there are records of a time capsule in the Thomas Fine Arts building, placed there in 1962 by former President Edgar L. Harden. There is another time capsule in the West Science building, placed there in 1966 and uncovered in 1996. After being uncovered, it was replaced unopened. ASNMU also placed a time capsule outside of the University Center in 1999 to commemorate the centennial. It is scheduled to be opened 50 years after burial.

Klawes said the newest time capsule will remain underground for a minimum of 50 years, after which, students at the university will have the opportunity to open the capsule. “Originally we looked at 100 years, but we, and the students we had talked to, decided on 50 years so a majority of students who are here on campus will be alive to see it opened,” Klawes said. “It will be a great way for alumni to look back, who are students now, even if they didn’t submit something.”

In addition, Klawes said students can expect to see a marker to come at a later date, in order to represent where the time capsule has been buried. It will include the year of burial and the year of expected opening.

“I would encourage students to be aware of and enjoy the event,” Magnaghi said. “And I throw that out like the net, you throw it out and see what happens. But there will be some students, so I just encourage students, as the historian, if they can, to try and participate in some of the events, be there and have a unique experience and a fun time in the process.”