This past spring break, Nichols students took several trips abroad including trips to Barcelona and London. The Barcelona trip was for criminal justice students who were required to take two specific courses. For the London trip, students had to take the Lead 101 course in the spring semester. Each trip consisted of different activities but it is amazing to see what opportunities Nichols students have available to them.

On April 23, the ten Criminal Justice students who went on the Barcelona trip each gave a presentation on a specific topic about the trip. Along with their advisors, Professor Charbonneau and Professor Brown, the students who went on this trip were Kim Whalen, Taylor Pons, Paige Moroz, Anthony Lovetere, Jon Demers, Mario Turner, Jake Gallagher, Ian Sullivan, David Barnard, and Mike Cutrer.

In order to be eligible for the trip, the students had to complete two courses, one of which was Crime, Justice, and Society and write an essay about why they should be selected for the trip.  Based on the applications, Professors Charbonneau and Brown chose ten deserving students to take the trip.

During their presentations, the students talked about the different law enforcement strategies and the culture of Barcelona. I really enjoyed this event and wish I was a criminal justice major because of all the places they visited while in Barcelona. Anyone who is in the Criminal Justice program should really consider going on this trip in the future!

I think that most college students do not know nearly half of what’s going on in the world today. Most do not watch the news or even follow it on twitter. Oftentimes, those who do follow the news on twitter are not getting the whole story or are getting a biased or incorrect one. This was a topic that was discussed at the recent campus open forum.

During the open forum on May 1, I sat with PJ Boggio, Dean of Students, Autumn Hicks, SGA President, and Professor Boyd Brown to talk about the events that happened and are continuing in Baltimore. Our discussion transitioned to implementing a current events club on campus. The one thing that might be difficult about this is that it might be tough getting students to participate due to their many other commitments on campus.

Also, some students might think that if professors are orchestrating the meetings then it’s more of a class than a club. However, we would want students in this club to be willing to talk about current events and lead discussions, but also be willing to listen and hear each person’s point of view.

I believe this would be beneficial to the students so they become aware of what is happening in the world and can share an opinion. It may seem that here in Dudley, Massachusetts we are tucked away and hidden from any harm that may come. Sometimes people do not pay attention because the events that are happening aren’t happening in their town or region. However, we all need to be aware and to be able to talk about difficult topics such as these. Forming the club will help us be ready for real world discussions when we leave our college life in Dudley. In the business world, people engage in these conversations all of the time, and as students we all need to be confident in what we say and how we stand on difficult topics.

The Student Leadership Awards were held on April 13, 2015. I was nominated for one, along with my fellow class officers and many of my fellow classmates. Nichols College develops leaders and if I had to choose just one important accomplishment to have made after four years at Nichols, it would be the ability to lead others. From my short time here, I can already tell that Nichols will aid me in becoming a great leader.

The night was organized and directed by Beth Gionfriddo, Assistant Director of the Center for Student Involvement. Beth is known all around campus as someone who cares about the students and their involvement on campus. She is amazing at organizing events, and this event showcases that.  As a matter of fact, this year she organized the first ever BisonFest, and it was one of the greatest events I have attended on campus so far.

Before we walked into the award ceremony, PJ Boggio, Dean of Students, and Brian Quinlan, Director of Student Involvement, handed out marbles to all of the students. They told us that we were participating in a surprise for Beth Gionfriddo. The surprise was initiated when Brian asked Beth to stand at the podium; PJ proceeded to present Beth with a very nice vase. Autumn Hicks, SGA President, started the movement by getting up first. Then all of the students followed and placed our own marbles into the vase. Placing a marble in the vase signified that Beth had affected each of our lives in a positive way. Beth was so emotional by this grand gesture, and we could all tell how happy she was. When we all sat down, Brian made a joke, “This was harder to organize than you think considering Beth does everything.” We really do appreciate all that Beth does for us here on the Hill and we are all so lucky to have her!

Here is a list of the awards and winners:

Student Organization of the Year-Anime Club

Program of the Year-2018 Family Fun Fair

Residence Life Social Programmer of the Year-Stephen Chlapowski

Residence Life Educational Programmer of the Year-Amanda-Lee Healy and Alley Euglow

Residence Life Rising Star-Paul Angelucci

Residence Life Unsung Hero-Chad Strattman

RA of the Year-Katie Tupaj

Writing Fellow of the Year-Jess Frank

Tutor of the Year-Ben Davis

Cheryl Alderman Memorial Award-Matt San Clemente

Jimmy Gahan Dedication Award-Anthony Champagne

Rita Gatzke Appreciation Award-Kathy Sandstrom

Emerging Leader Award-Fallonne Fanfan

Outstanding Leader, Class of 2018-Liz Gagnon

Outstanding Leader, Class of 2017-Mary Daly

Outstanding Leader, Class of 2016-Irving Eggleston

Outstanding Leader, Class of 2015-Matt SanClemente

Shining Star Award-Autumn Hicks