Category Archives: On The Hill

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Costa Rica: Crime, Culture & Consequence

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On Friday, April 25, at 4:00pm in Daniels Auditorium, a presentation will be given by a group of students who went to Costa Rica over winter break. The maximum capacity for this event is 160 so be sure to get there early. Hors d’oeuvres will be served, specifically coconut balls, a cultural dessert the students learned to prepare while in Costa Rica.

From January 5 – 12, ten students visited Costa Rica as an elective part of the course called Crime, Culture, and Consequence. This trip, led by Professors Kimberly Charbonneau and Boyd Brown, allowed students to explore not just the culture of Costa Rica but the justice system as well. The majority of students attending were juniors and seniors, but a few sophomores were allowed to go in order to have the full ten students required. Each student was a Criminal Justice major or minor.

The day of travel to get to Costa Rica proved frustrating but students managed to keep in perspective that this trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Repeated mechanical issues kept their plane delayed for a five-hour stretch, only to be continued by a two-hour stretch. The decision was made to postpone the welcome dinner planned, and students accepted food vouchers from the airline instead. Not to worry — a welcome lunch was given the following day, and Professor Brown gave a beautiful speech.

Once the group from Nichols College finally arrived, they settled in their rooms and got ready for an adventure. After a quick look around, the students realized they stuck out like sore thumbs — they were the only people in shorts! Apparently, in Costa Rica, shorts are not commonly worn. Other glaring differences between our two cultures were the use of toilet paper — which is thrown away and not flushed — and the use of broken bottles embedded in fences for added home security. Also, children stay in the home until marriage. Of course there are many differences between every culture, but these things were immediately noticed by traveler Skye Oliver, who was good enough to share not just her experience with the Bison Chronicles but her pictures as well.

Even in the middle of a large city, the students were struck by how quiet everything was. There were no blaring sirens and horns. The city was completely calm — how unlike our cities here in America! A peaceful attitude was evident all through Costa Rica. The country men and women were hospitable, laid back, and very open to the tourists. While walking around one day, Skye was given the peace sign by a man riding a motorcycle. Just one human being projecting peace and kindness to another.

Group photo

The food was enjoyed mightily on the trip. Salsa and tomatoes were big in the culture and heavily utilized at a cooking class given by a woman named Carolina, friend of tour guide Ania. This was an event the students enjoyed. The rice was spiced unlike it is commonly done here in America and was enjoyed by all. For breakfast, toast was served with fruits, rice, and beans. The students were there to learn but they also were allowed a trip to the Arenal volcano, a tour of a coffee estate, a zip-lining excursion, and their last day was spent on the beach while Spider monkeys chattered above in the trees. Bonds were formed on this trip, a once-in-a-lifetime experience that these ten students and two professors will now share forever.

Working as a group

A day in the court house provided the students with an inside look at how the justice system in Costa Rica works. Defendants choose which questions they do and do not answer. Yes, you read that right. Defendants are given the right to determine what they will offer for information through questioning. The judge was informal, speaking on her phone and braiding her hair through the start of the trial. A lawyer, German, invited the students back to his office and was very welcoming, preparing for the students and making them feel right at home. One interesting thing they learned is that once, 383 prisoners were released from prison on the same day. One of the prisoners committed a murder that day, and all 383 were hauled right back to the prison. Now that is a difference of culture!

All in all, this was a trip where students learned non-stop. If you are a student here at Nichols, or a student considering Nichols, please be aware that the college offers amazing opportunities for student learning. Trips sponsored by International Studies Abroad are common here at Nichols, so do not be afraid to ask.

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Messin’ Around With Shaolin Jazz

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When Gerald Watson and DJ 2-Tone Jones came to Nichols College, it was my privilege to join them for lunch. Both men were gracious, intelligent, and passionate about Shaolin Jazz. Shaolin Jazz is an entire concept–not just music but a culture. Watson and Jones had an idea, made it happen, and never gave up trying. That method indeed worked as Nichols students saw for themselves.

I discuss the origins of Shaolin Jazz here. This concept was given life and has succeeded beyond what either man ever thought. Now there are several different factions to the Shaolin Jazz culture. Shaolin Jazz was intended to be on campus for two days – Febrauary 18 and 19 – but the awesome snow that just kept piling down on us delayed their flight. Watson and 2-Tone were here Wednesday only, but made the most of their time to benefit the students. They gave two lectures, offered class visits for discussion, and set up an art exhibition called Color of Sound.

The Creative Branding Lecture took place in Davis 205/207 at 3:30 pm. Watson and Jones brought Nichols College students through a brief history of how the concept of Shaolin Jazz began. From there, they discussed how creative branding can work in your favor, how to keep going after what you want, and what steps Watson and Jones took to get Shaolin Jazz out into the music world. They spoke of listening parties — events where Shaolin Jazz is played, artwork displayed, and food and drink served (how cool is that?!).

The artwork is created by Aneikan Udofina, an artist who has been working with 2-Tone and Watson for over ten years now, and keeps Shaolin Art alive. When Watson, Jones, and Udofina came together to discuss Udofina creating the art, all involved knew this was a no-brainer. They had worked together before and were confident in the outcome. These visual interpretations of Shaolin Jazz are affordable and accessible, one more branding strategy of the group. All of the products are accessible to the public.

The second show at Nichols College, the Culture Lecture, took place in Davis at 7:00 pm. This was an exploration of exactly who and what Shaolin Jazz is. While the first part was intended to inspire business and marketing, the second part was left to music, fun, experience, and Shaolin Jazz. The parallels and similarities of both the jazz and hip-hop cultures were explored. This was incredibly well received among the Nichols community.

One part of Shaolin Jazz the Nichols College community was not able to experience is Shaolin Jazz Live, which is absolutely worth mentioning. Shaolin Jazz Live is comprised of band members who play all over the US. DJ 2-Tone Jones has made history becoming the first and only DJ to play at Blues Alley, a legendary jazz supper club in Georgetown.

All in all, the day spent with Shaolin Jazz was amazing. Great things are coming to Nichols College thanks to Susan Wayman and the Fischer Institute!

 

 

 

On The Hill

PDS- iWebfolio

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In the past years PDS has been using portfolios as a way to showcase students’ achievements and allow them to show potential employers all of their hard work. Sophomore PDS was based solely around the development of your portfolio. Creating a resume, cover letter and figuring out all the assignments you wanted to add were just some of the tasks you would have to do for this. Once it was completed, everything was added into a binder and presented to the class.
This year however is the first year that Nichols decided to use the iWebfolio. The iWebfolio is an online portfolio that rid the need of the binder.

When talking about it in class, a lot of students were confused on how to add and edit the documents that were going into it. However, with all the informational meetings Nichols offered and the step-by-step instructions that were given to us, it was made very clear.

In creating your iWebfolio, you first need to create an account, which Nichols gives to you. Then you have to upload or scan in all of your work that you want to showcase in your portfolio. I found that this step was a little time consuming and if you wanted it to be perfect you would be need to make sure it fits into the section you were adding it to. You also had to include a description of each piece being added and how you think it relates to the section. When adding a previous class paper, exam or assignment, you would need to add why you think you succeeded at the assignment.

Some thought it was pointless to change to the iWebfolio, but others, including myself, believe it is a smart decision. Switching to something that is so easy to use and much easier to send to a future employer is very beneficial.