BY ERICA MILOSH 

Student Services sponsored a lively Ugly Sweater Party on Friday, Dec. 4. The Fels Student Center lounge was filled with about 50 festive students sporting their ugliest sweaters. The event was a “pub night” intended for the 21+ crowd at Nichols, but younger students were also welcome to join in the fun, eat cookies, and hangout with Santa.

First-year student and criminal justice management major Connor Madsen volunteered to pose as Santa to represent the Ski and Snowboard Club. Several students snapped photos with Santa and told him what they wanted for Christmas.

“It’s great to have a break from studying,” said senior English major Marquice Jackson. “I told Santa I wanted to pass all my final exams for Christmas this year.”

Fels lounge was fully decorated, Christmas tree and all. Karaoke was on hand for any student gutsy enough to show off their singing skills. Many students sang along with Christmas favorites such as “Santa Baby” and “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

Director of Financial Assistance Jen Bianco, who chaperoned the event, also enjoyed the party.

“It’s a creative idea,” she said. “I think the ugly sweaters are bringing everyone together.”

There was a selection of seasonal beverages available for students of age. A police officer was stationed at the front door to check IDs for students who would be drinking beer or wine.

BY ERICA MILOSH

One of the newest clubs on campus is the Arts, Creativity, and Culture Club—also known as ACC Bison. The group was formed to involve the campus community in more artistic and cultural events.

Sophomore Lauren Candia, president of ACC Bison and a hospitality management major, explained her vision for the club.

“There wasn’t enough art exposure on campus,” she said. “We want to show that creativity is an important aspect of education in business.”

So far, the club has collaborated with many other organizations on campus and held numerous events. Most recently, Halloween Haunt was held in the chapel to show off black light art made by students. Members of The Poetry Club read some of their fright-inspired poems, and a few singers and actors performed. Earlier in the semester, ACC Bison organized a glow-in-the-dark rock-climbing event.

In October, the club held a headshot campaign to self promote and attract new members. Ten students signed up to receive a free, high-quality photo session for professional headshots to put on their LinkedIn profile pages.

Lauren is planning an extravagant event for the spring semester; she’s trying to recruit every club to join an outdoor Art Showcase Festival on the Nichols campus. This event will show off student art, talent, and cultural activities and feature meditation sessions, yoga, rock climbing, jewelry making, and more. Participating organizations so far include Caribbean Club, Meditation Club, Performing Arts Club, and the Cheer Team, to name a few. Any other clubs are welcome to join in the event simply by contacting Lauren.

ACC Bison is in the process of planning a mural to be painted in Dudley. The mural will display the history of Dudley and Webster and other aspects of the two towns. The club has been working hard to make this mural happen; Mauri Pelto has been working with the club to gain permission from President Engelkemeyer. From there they’ll work with the town. They intend to paint it after spring break on the side of Twin City Cleaners on 147 West Main Street.

Lauren, a native of Anaheim, Calif., believes that ACC Bison will continue making an impact on campus. Brainstorming events well in advance keeps the club together and focused on goals.

BY ERICA MILOSH

Nichols College has recently joined forces with Webster’s Bartlett High School to raise awareness of high school students about the importance of college goals and help them get a head start on college life.

The Nichols Honors Academy (NHA) was launched last year for Bartlett first-year students to acclimate them to the college workload and lifestyle. The program has been made possible by benefactors Nichols Trustee Emeritus Gerald Fels and his wife, Marilyn Fels. This year, a new program catered to Bartlett junior women, College Connection, has been designed to promote female student leadership.

In October, 22 Bartlett first-year students were inducted into the NHA in a ceremony held in Daniels Auditorium. Throughout the day, the students toured the campus and were given Nichols IDs to use the library and attend campus events, while the sophomores sat in on an ethics class. Later, each new inductee was given a free Google Chromebook laptop and a goodie bag of Nichols apparel. The Chromebooks were generously donated by Mr. and Mrs. Fels; the students will use them for school assignments and accelerated coursework.

In order to qualify for the Nichols Honors Academy, first-year high school students must undergo an application process that includes an essay, recommendations, review of achievements, and an entrance exam. Once inducted they will take accelerated courses for their core classes and pick an Advanced Placement (AP) course in their sophomore year. Nichols faculty will assist in teaching these courses. By their junior and senior years, it is anticipated that the high school students will be able to take college level courses on the Nichols campus.

Professor Mauri Pelto, associate dean of liberal arts and academic coordinator of the Nichols Honors Academy, put the value of academics into perspective.

“If you end up taking four [college] classes in this program, that’s a semester’s worth of tuition,” he said. “It is important to have a good GPA for merit scholarships; there are thousand-dollar differences between a B and an A.”

Bartlett High School Principal Steve Knowlton expressed his pride for the sophomore students who paved the way for the incoming first-year students.

“This is a great opportunity and will require hard work,” he said. “Ask for help; counselors, Nichols staff, and other students are there to help you overcome difficulties.”

The sophomores in the crowd agreed that the workload is vigorous, but not one of them has decided to withdraw from the program.

“We want to partner with the community in ways that make sense. The NHA can expand horizons and help students find their passions,” said Nichols College President Susan West Engelkemeyer, Ph.D.

Nichols will also reap major benefits by connecting with Bartlett. The college is looking to increase the number of Webster-based commuter students, and is striving for high SAT entrance requirements and increased retention rates. Introducing accelerated high school students to campus will make these goals attainable.

This partnership has attracted the attention of other surrounding high schools. Nichols is planning to include Shepherd Hill Regional High School in the NHA once a benefactor has been confirmed.

Dr. Diane Bemis, chair of the Bartlett Nichols Partnership Committee and assistant professor of education relayed, “I’m excited for the program to continue. When we share our resources and curricula with the community, everyone benefits.”

College Connection is a separate collaboration from the NHA. Its first event was held Oct. 28 at Nichols College. The program helps Bartlett junior women gain confidence in their leadership skills and prepares them for college and job interviews. The Institute for Women’s Leadership sponsors the program, which is made possible also in part by a grant from the American Association of University Women.

The first event included a panel of alumni—Abby Gould, Ashley O’Keefe, Kerry Postale, Autumn Hicks, and Alyse Viens—who discussed their path to Nichols and beyond. Later, the students participated in exercises that examined their academic and personal interests and created goals.

“Try everything, take different classes to find your major,” said Viens, a 2014 Nichols graduate. “The best decisions are scary so don’t box yourself in. Keep in mind that you don’t need to pick just one thing.”

Allowing students to work with alumni showed them that college is variable. All of the alumni stressed how important it is to follow a passion and know that it’s possible to change careers and change plans midway through.

During the College Connection event, Bartlett Guidance Counselors Kim Dobro and Christopher Shen and Vice Principal Rebecca Czernicki were on hand to observe their students in the college environment. They had selected the 20 students with the help of their teachers based on the students’ potential and likeliness to benefit from the program.

“What I’ve been seeing today are students’ eyes being opened up to possibilities after high school. I’m hearing them discuss how they want to own a business someday,” said Czernicki.

“As counselors we can give students the tools to lead toward a future, but for them to visualize a future on their own—it makes what we do more meaningful,” Dobro said.

The program is designed to meet once in the fall at Nichols for networking and goal setting, and the students will come back in the spring to learn about the college application process, college interviews, and essays.

“We wanted to expose them to an engaged college culture,” said Shen. “This is all new to them; this is the first time many of the students have been on a college campus.”

Mackenzie Beeso, a Bartlett student and aspiring criminal justice management major, alluded that she plans to apply to Nichols.

“I love this college, it feels homey, and the focus on women leadership is what attracted me,” she said.