Alternative Spring Break is an experience like no other. A group of students travel to New Orleans, Louisiana over spring break to help rebuild houses that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Selection is rigorous; students have to fill out an application and go through an interview to take part. Once they have been chosen, they can start all the fundraising activities.

The trip is funded by donations. Throughout the year, students get together and brainstorm ways to fundraise. This year the students held events such as a pasta dinner, where ticket sales went to their fund.

When the group gets to New Orleans, they work with Gulf Coast Volunteers for the Long Haul, Inc. and St. Bernard’s Project. The trip is full of opportunities for these Nichols students to learn about the different culture, themselves, and gain a new appreciation for community service and helping those in need.

A couple of my friends went on Alternative Spring Break this year. They talked very highly about the experience. I followed their entire trip by constantly looking at their Instagram and Snapchat accounts. Sean, my brother, went last year and he said it was hard work, but he enjoyed the trip. The part that was very hard to manage was waking up at 7 a.m. and not going to bed until at least midnight, sometimes 1 a.m. Sean said, “But once you realize the difference you are making in someone’s life, there is nothing to complain about.”  He also reflected on all of the friendships he made and still maintains from the trip. Another thing to look forward to is the food; everyone I talked to raved about how great it was. If you weren’t thinking about Alternative Spring Break before, you should really consider it for next year because I know I am!

Which class has the most Bison Pride? Well, this will be settled on April 12^th when the awards are handed out for BisonFest 2015! What is BisonFest, you ask? It’s what used to be called “The Bison Games” but has now been amped up to four days of competition. The event will start on Wednesday, April 8th and end on Saturday, April 11^th. Winners will be announced and awarded on Sunday, the 12th. Everyone should start warming up because it’s only one day away! However, no matter how much warming up you do, I know that the class of 2018 (my class) will finish victoriously!

The class who wins receives a $3,000 grand prize; second place, $2,000; third place, $1,000; and fourth place (most likely the seniors), $500. Also, if a staff member is on a team, the team receives extra points! Each student is allowed to participate in three different events. So go to the 3^rd floor of Fels to sign up before all of the spots are taken. Also, make sure you check your email for the list of events or visit the Center for Student Involvement. Videos of your team captains with Thunder are all over Nichols College social media accounts.  Make sure you hashtag #BisonFest15 when tweeting and posting any Instagram pictures.

Hope everyone is ready to get beaten by a bunch of freshmen because at the end of BisonFest, you will wish you were a part of the class of 2018! Good luck to whoever faces the freshmen team in any events; most likely you will run back to your dorm crying after we beat you.

As you can probably tell, I am extremely excited and cannot wait for BisonFest. It will be a great time to show my Bison pride and see how many of my fellow students show theirs. Even though my brothers, Sean and Patrick, always talk about the Bison Games, they won’t have experienced anything like this before! Good luck to all classes and may the odds be ever in your favor.

It’s that time of year again for the annual Elevator Speech Competition; they are entering their third year! The first year there were seven contestants, the second year there were 17 contestants, and they are hoping for even more contestants this year! Professor Luanne Westerling is the coordinator for the competition and Andrew Haas is the student moderator/emcee. Professor Westerling said that one day she would love for it to be a competition against different schools because Nichols is dedicated to developing leadership and communication skills in their students.

There are a few guidelines for the competition: students must be enrolled at Nichols College; they have to give a 60 second elevator speech in front of a panel of judges, points will be deducted if too long or too short; notes are not allowed at the podium with students; and lastly contestants must submit an outline or completed speech with the entry form. As for the competition itself, all speeches are videotaped and you must wear business attire.

This competition is a chance for students to step out of their comfort zones and participate in a challenging event. For me, I have had to step out of my comfort zone in my effective speaking class. I have never really had to stand in front of a class full of students and speak. However, I am starting to become more comfortable giving speeches. This class has given me the confidence to get in front of an audience and speak. When I gain even more trust and confidence in myself, I would love to participate in this competition.

The 3^rd Annual Elevator Speech Competition is being held on 4/7 at 7 pm in Daniels Auditorium. Hope to see you all there!