Tuesday, March 31^st was no ordinary day at Nichols College. I walked into the President’s Office, on time for my meeting. “President Weeks is ready for you,” Lynn Looby, the President’s assistant told me. I walked into the office, smiling, happy to see my friend and classmate, Chad Weeks, sitting behind the president’s desk.

The “President for a Day” contest was started by Lynn Looby, to give a student the opportunity to experience a day as the President of Nichols. In turn, President Susan Engelkemeyer would attend the student’s classes and daily activities. The day was jam-packed for Chad, starting with a presentation at a meeting with the President’s Council at 8:00a.m. He made sure to make time to hold office hours to meet with students from 10:30-11:30 a.m., then continued on to meet with various faculty, staff and vice presidents.

When I met with Chad that morning, he was excited to take on the day, to see what went on behind the scenes at Nichols and to learn the reasons why decisions are made. He was surprised at the amount of transparency the college displayed, being completely honest about the state of affairs and inner workings.

When asked about his experience, Chad said:

“My favorite part was meeting and speaking with different                       Nichols faculty throughout the day. I learned who they were,                 what they did, and why what they do is so important to our                       campus. I learned the structure in which Nichols College                           works and operates. I have a tremendous improvement in my                 understanding of how a business and our school operates. I                     would definitely do it again if I could. It was a lot of work but I                 had a great experience. I would recommend it to anyone who                 was interested on campus to apply and do it. Not only do you                 get to sit at a cool desk, but you get to work with great people.               My practical knowledge has greatly increased. I would not                       trade the experience for anything else.”

This was a great experience for Chad, and probably President Engelkemeyer as well! I’ve heard that a day in the life of a student is not complete without a round of Madden NFL, which is exactly what she did! Hopefully this will become an annual contest at Nichols College, as a way to connect with the student body and experience both undergraduate life and a day in the role of the president.

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!

Nichols College Men’s Ice Hockey had not only a successful season on the ice but in academics as well. The men’s ice hockey team saw 14 student-athletes named to the 2014-15 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Northeast Academic All-Conference Team. For a student-athlete to be named to the ALL-Conference team, he or she has to earn a 3.0 GPA or higher for the semester.

The men’s ice hockey team had an amazing season this year. Going to the games became one of my favorite things to do from November to March. The excitement from the crowds was a good enough reason to attend. In addition, the fact that the team was back-to-back ECAC champions increased the level of excitement for the championship game and is something to be remembered. It was incredible to watch the entire team celebrate on the ice, and see some of the guys that I have been friends with for four years so happy.

The women’s ice hockey team also had a successful season with the majority of the team being placed on the Academic All-Conference Team. Eleven players on the Nichols College Women’s Ice Hockey team received the distinction, which was an increase from last year’s eight players. The hockey program here at Nichols has been excelling during these past two years, and as a student it has been a pleasure to watch these two teams succeed.

To read the full articles on the students being named to the 2014-15 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Northeast Academic All-Conference Team, visit:

https://nicholsathletics.com/news/2015/3/16/WICE_0316152224.aspx

https://nicholsathletics.com/news/2015/3/16/MICEHOCKEY_0316150543.aspx