Category Archives: On The Hill

On The Hill

Election Results Party Kicks Off a New Era

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BY MEGAN FIELDS ’17

Nichols College students gathered on Election Night, Nov. 8, 2016, in the Fels Main Lounge for an election results viewing party. Surrounded by chicken wings and pizza, students chatted and cheered when they found their preferred candidate doing well in this historic race for the presidency of the United States.

The Nichols Office of Student Involvement coordinated the event to gather all campus community members (students, faculty, and staff) to get involved in this year’s election and political process. Many students arrived in groups, and engaged in intellectual debates on the qualities of the candidates. Some students even chose to wear the colors representative of their preferred candidate’s party.

While I am not the world’s biggest pizza fan, I appreciate the effort by Student Involvement to involve students in such an integral part of this country’s operations. Being able to watch the live results as they came in, on who won and who lost each state, was convenient for me as a viewer, and enabled me to speak freely with other students on their own opinions while staying up to date.

Although the party ended and the audience left before a winner was declared, it was thrilling to go through the ups and downs of each candidate’s progress from state to state, and being able to project who we thought might be the winner.

Despite the recent turmoil over the election results, being able to witness this moment in history is certainly something I believe many people will appreciate their participation and involvement in the years to come.

Megan Fields is a senior marketing major and psychology minor at Nichols College. She interns for the College’s Office of Marketing and Communications.

On The Hill

Student Government Association Sponsors “Pink Out” Event for Breast Cancer Awareness

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BY MEGAN FIELDS ’17

The Nichols Student Government Association (SGA) sponsored a Pink Out event during the home football game on Oct. 29. When walking down to the game, students were greeted by dozens of pastel pink balloons in swaying archways, and tables covered in neon pink sheets.

Members of SGA enthusiastically waved students over to gather their pink goodies: horns, t-shirts, Mardi Gras beads and tumblers. Students were encouraged to take one of everything in support of breast cancer awareness, which the month of October is officially dedicated to.

According to Kristina Maxwell ’18, a vice president on the Executive Advisory Board of SGA, the goal of the program was to “have an event where the student body could come out and show their support for a serious cause. In doing both of those things,” she continued “we elevate the entire campus’ awareness of breast cancer.”

SGA has been known to put on campus-wide events before, such as the semi-annual SGA Day full of games and prizes, but the organization’s main focus is allocating funds for student organizations and negotiating student policies.

The group is also responsible for working as a conduit between the student body population and campus administration. “We exist as the voice of the students” Maxwell commented. “We are here, as students ourselves, to represent the students.”

SGA is also involved heavily in community service, and has recently worked with local schools for various service efforts.

Although the main purpose of the Pink Out event was to raise awareness for the cause, the program did raise close to $150 in donations from students and family members for charity.

On The Hill

Puppies, Cookies and Pies, Oh My!

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BY MEGAN FIELDS ’17

The Nichols campus found itself teaming with silky black and gold Labrador Retrievers on Tuesday, Oct. 25. Six K-9 Unit members and their handlers joined the Criminal Justice Club on the Academy lawn with cookies and pies, ready to fundraise for a tear-inducing cause.

The State Police Association of Massachusetts has raised $4,000 for their goal of $11,000 to establish a memorial for the Fire Marshal Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit. Twenty K-9s have passed away in the program due to the dangerous nature of the job.

Cookies in the shapes of dogs and bones, baked by Nichols staff member Jackie Baker, were sold to students and faculty. Students had the opportunity for a golden half an hour to throw a pie at criminal justice professor Boyd Brown, and to purchase raffle tickets for autographed Patriots gear.

All proceeds from the fundraising event were donated to the Mass. State Police in a ceremony at the end of the event. In just a few short hours, the club raised $425 in donations to present to state police lieutenant Paul Zipper, who organized the event with Nichols professor Kimberly Charbonneau.

“For Nichols students,” Prof. Charbonneau said, “this gives them an opportunity to help others and gain strong experiential learning through this event.”

Charbonneau was assisted by club members Elena Kilduff and Megan Faulker in organizing the event, as well as overseeing the day’s events leading up to the presentation of the donation.

The donations didn’t stop with the money raised; the club donated the remaining cookies to the Webster Boys and Girls Club after the conclusion of the event.

The club will continue their collaboration with Lt. Zipper and the Mass. State Police in a follow-up event in the spring titled “Denim Day”.

If you would like to donate to the Fire Marshal Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit K-9 Memorial Fundraiser, please visit the State Police Association of Massachusetts website at www.statepoliceassociationofmass.com and click on the link to donate through the SPAM Benevolent Fund PayPal account.