BY JENNA MCASSEY ‘19

On April 21, the Mr. Nichols event took place. It is an event run by the sophomore class where two students from each class compete against each other, and the other classes, for the title of Mr. Nichols. Last year’s winner was Jaylen Obsey ’19, taking the crown during his freshman year at Nichols. This is a competition that takes a lot of time, preparation, and planning by each contestant.

To start the show, all of the contestants model on stage with their escorts and perform one big group dance. They then separate to show off their individual talents. There are four judges, who not only choose the winner, but also provide feedback to each contestant. The judges were Professor Brian McCoy, Advisor Janet Newman, Professor Melanie Fleming, and Professor Erika Smith.

This year’s contestant for the class of 2020 was Tyler Kenney. Tyler was the only freshmen participant. Tyler put on a lip-sync performance to Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus; it was a crowd favorite! For the class of 2019, the two contestants were Austin Duvarney and Ariff McLaren. Austin sang a song he wrote, and Ariff sang a self-written visual rap. For the class of 2018, the two contestants were Joseph Slattery and Paul Sickenger. The two gentlemen collaborated and performed a duet, which included a dance as well as lip-syncing to their own mixtape. Lastly, for the class of 2017, the two contestants were Connor Leahy and Jake Gallagher. Jake sang to the song Proud to be an American, while carrying an American flag. Connor’s talent was a dance with partner Brooke Maher ’17—the crowd and the judges absolutely loved this performance.

Although this was a close competition, and a few of the contestants showcased their talents very well, the first place recognition went to Connor Leahy ‘17. “I think Connor deserved it; he not only had a great talent, but he really showed his Bison Pride here tonight,” said Marissa Piedmonte ‘19, who is the Vice President of SGA and coordinated the Mr. Nichols event.

If you would like the opportunity to be the next Mr. Nichols, there’s always next year! Can’t wait to see who will be crowned Mr. Nichols in 2018.

BY JENNA MCASSEY ‘19

Nichols College junior Emily Barden had the pleasure of switching places with President Susan West Engelkemeyer, Ph.D., for the day on April 4. This was the first year a female received the opportunity. Emily did not only humbly accept this position, but she also used this day to her full advantage and was a fantastic role model to the student body. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend meetings and classes that both President Engelkemeyer and President for A Day Barden participated in.

The day started with Emily in the President’s Office preparing for her meeting with the President’s Council. Emily was able to conduct a meeting of the President’s Council (a group of vice presidents and deans) and present her proposals. Her presentation was professional and informative. She explained that she believes the College should work more on networking for students who live farther away, donations from alumni, and health as a whole around campus. Later, Emily answered many questions that the council members had for her. Following her presentation, she held office hours during which students, faculty, or staff could attend and ask questions. She also had the opportunity to have meetings throughout the day with other Nichols faculty and staff, as well as have lunch in the President’s Conference Room with a few of her close friends.

While Emily was President For a Day, President Engelkemeyer was a student for the day. She stayed up the night before until 1 a.m. to study the information that she had to present. The morning of, she put on some jeans, a sweatshirt, and a backpack and headed off to class. I was able to sit in on one of her classes where she presented about car recalls and the concerns with certain parts being recalled. Following her classes, President Engelkemeyer ate lunch with a few of Emily’s friends and attended a workout with Emily’s women’s ice hockey teammates.

The following day, Emily and President Engelkemeyer were able to meet and discuss what went on during their respective days. I was able to sit down with them and ask a few questions. Emily explained that being able to have this experience was extremely humbling and rewarding. The President also enjoyed her day and found it nice to be able to walk in a student’s shoes. One topic that also arose was how special it was that the President and President For a Day are both women. This shows such a positive shift in our society and is such a great representation of our college.

“I definitely could see myself in this type of leadership role and position one day,” said Emily, a human resource management major from upstate New York. She added, “I went into this field because the most rewarding part of the job is seeing people succeed. I find it amazing that I will get to put people to work and help them succeed.”

Do you think you would make a great president for a day? Stay tuned, and maybe next year you could be President For a Day!

BY JENNA MCASSEY ’19

The elections for the 2017-2018 academic year Student Government Association took place just a couple weeks ago. The Student Government Association or SGA represents the undergraduate student body. This group listens to student comments and concerns, plans campus-wide events, and much more. The new SGA has a lot to live up to, as it seemed like there was an event every single day of this semester. Some of my favorite events include paint night, the spring concert, and just a simple pizza party in Fels.

Within SGA there is a main board, which is the Executive Advisory Board or EAB, as well as the Senate, which consists of a board from each class. Each position within the EAB and Senate were open to the student body for election.

The Executive Advisory Board winners are listed below.

President of SGA: Catherine Hoey ’18

Vice President for Student Advocacy: Siobhan Kelleher ’18

Vice President for Business Affairs: Michael Chase Gabor ’18

SGA Vice President of Marketing & Communications: Laura Freeman ’18

Vice President of Academic Affairs: Kristina Maxwell ’18

Social Programing Board President: Kevin Larson ’19

 

This year’s Senate winners are listed below.

Senior Class Board ’18

President: Taylor Fritze

Vice President: Dylan Casserly

Treasurer: Joseph Slattery

Secretary: Courtney Coleman

 

Junior Class Board ’19

President: Joyce Salles

Vice President: Marissa Piedmonte

Treasurer: Austin Duvarney

Secretary: Milica Sari

 

Sophomore Class Board ’20

President: Liam Meagher

Vice President: Samara Hod

Secretary: Antonia Souza

Treasurer: Emily Eagan

 

If you see them around campus, be sure to congratulate them. We are all very excited to see the great things they will do in the upcoming academic year!