The SNHU community is now settled into the school year and the Fall ‘22 semester is proceeding quickly. The first half of the term has offered various events, such as CAPE’s Big Money Bingo and the Involvement Fair. Other functions, such as the Munchiez food truck, have also returned to the livened campus.
However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any struggles on campus. The need for mental health support will increase throughout the course of the fall semester and into the spring semester. School is important, but it won’t matter if students are unable to focus on their own well-being.
Students work to maintain good mental health. Anyone that spreads themselves too thin is more likely to experience burnout. Workloads increase as the school year goes on, so knowing how to manage large workloads to allow room for other activities is crucial.
Busy schedules are manageable if a student is organized. Keeping a daily planner is one way to stay on track with homework, meetings, and events. While this may not work for everyone, having a routine can make a schedule feel less chaotic. Setting aside time for relaxation is equally as important as having designated blocks for homework and other activities when not in class.
Expectations for students increase throughout the school year, which can add pressure. Many students strive for perfection, so their ability to step away from
their responsibilities becomes more difficult. Academic success becomes the sole focus, making it easy to overlook mental health.
A busy schedule doesn’t just come from the classroom; it comes from clubs, organizations, and sports. Between attending club events, general meetings, and even E-Board or additional meetings, personal time can diminish. This is especially pertinent for those that take part in multiple extracurriculars.
While joining extracurriculars can help students find their niche and get connected with other students, it’s important to focus on oneself.
Methods of personal care can vary depending on personal preference. Some people may decide to get into fitness, other people may prefer curling up with a cup of coffee and a book. Whatever it may be, everyone should find something they enjoy doing in between obligations.
Students may worry about falling behind in their workload or disappointing the people that count on them. However, it’s important to remember this: it’s okay to take a break. In order to be there for other people, students need to learn how to be there for themselves first.
Being a college student does not amount to being a machine. Not everyone can be in multiple places at once, nor do they need to shoulder everything on their own; always ask for help if needed.
The school year is only going to speed up from here, so having a balanced routine can help to mitigate stress. Moreover, knowing when to slow down or take a break is the key to a healthy lifestyle, which can help anyone succeed.
Students can check out the article, “Dealing With Burnout,” on The Penmen Press website, or contact the Wellness Center at 603-645-9679 or wellness@snhu. edu with additional inquiries.
Brewed Awakening is a student-run café located on the first floor of the Hospitality Center. Their hours of operation are between 7:30am to 3:30pm from Monday to Thursday, as well as from 7:30am to 2:00pm on Fridays.
Brewed Awakening takes Penmen Cash, Credit/Debit, and regular cash; they do not accept Dining Dollars. They have a walk-up counter and a seating area for visitors to work or socialize.
“Brewed is a fun and friendly café that wants to make a good work experience for student workers, and that students can come [to] relax and have something other than the dining hall. Brewed staff is all students
of all grades and backgrounds,” said Cassidy Barcome (‘24), the student manager of Brewed Awakening.
The café specializes in homemade breakfast items, coffee, and teas. They make homemade breakfast sandwiches with bacon, egg, cheese, and the customer’s choice of bread. Brewed uses local vendors for all their food items. They can also make normal coffee, lattes, macchiatos, and americanos.
One Brewed Awakening offering that is often popular amongst the SNHU community is Crêpe Day. On Mondays from 7:30am to 12:10pm, SNHU students can go to the café to customize up to three crêpes at $10 with various toppings to their
liking. Fillings are $1 each.
In addition, they make a special crêpe every week for students to try. Flavors have included salted caramel apple and maple bacon with cream cheese, among others.
Brewed Awakening is building off of the foundation that was left by last year’s managers, Alex Littizzio (‘22) and Cassidy Nguyen (‘22). The Brewed staff is hoping to carry on their legacy by working with other clubs and organizations to host events.
Brewed Awakening is open all year and is always ready to welcome new and returning customers. Students interested in learning more about the café can check out their Instagram: @brewedawakeningsnhu.
The Creative Writing Club is a community where SNHU writers can come together and share their work with likeminded people. Following the Involvement Fair, the Creative Writing Club continues to see an increase in membership.
The club was revived in the Fall ‘21 semester after it went dormant during the remote year. Creative Writing Club Secretary Thomas Matuszewski (‘23), shared his thoughts on the previous school year.
“[Professor Moloney] approached a few students, trying to get an E-Board together to actually get [the club] back up and running, and I was one of them,” said Matuszewski.
Matuszewski went on to talk about what the club has to offer.
“I think the main thing is being able to share our own experiences and our own work with each other in a stress-free environment. It’s not a class, it’s not for credit,” said Matuszewski. “With workshops, we give each other feedback and try to help each other out with our work and try to make all of us better writers.”
Matuszewski’s favorite part of the club is seeing the variety of writing and working on writing prompts.
“We would give ten minutes to write [the prompts],” said Matuszewski, “Hearing each person’s work after that ten minutes can be very impressive.
It’s like, ‘you wrote that in ten minutes?’”
In addition, the Creative Writing club also hosts open mic nights, where students have a chance to share their work. The club is hoping to host more events in the future.
“We’ve been kind of spitballing other ideas, trying to come up with some things that will or will not happen depending on budget and scheduling,” said Matuszewski.
The Creative Writing Club meets every Tuesday in Robert Frost 204 from 4-5pm. Information and updates about meetings and events are available on the club’s Instagram: @creativewritingclubsnhu.
Commuters are known for their lack of involvement in extracurriculars. They have lower attendance for nighttime social events such as Karaoke, as well as special events like CAPE’s Legendary Concert.
However, commuters may not be as absent from campus events as the residential community believes. Are on-campus students falsely stereotyping commuters? Do commuters and residential students share more in common than they might think?
Campus events allow students to be social and hang out with their friends after a school day. However, commuters often fail to attend social events at night due to travel.
Many commute for times ranging between thirty minutes to an hour. This drive usually takes away from a commuting student’s college experience. On average, commuters will only stay on campus until 8pm at the latest; although, there are exceptions to this rule.
“I go to events on and off campus,” said Commuter Lounge Manager, Lucas Frazier (‘22). “Events like Big Money Bingo and CAPE trips are a go-to.”
Other commuters had similar viewpoints, such as Christopher Constan (‘22).
“I go to a lot of the events around campus,” said Constan. “Big Money Bingo and Glow Casino are a go-to [for me].”
However, there are still commuters who do not attend these social events at night.
Meanwhile, residential
students attend a variety of night events because they have easier access to opportunities.
“I usually go to Karaoke. That’s [what I do most] of the time; I’m pretty busy at work,” said Amelia Mosnicka (‘26).
“I try to go to events where I can. Oftentimes I try to see what’s going on and what catches my eye,” said Austin Nevins (‘24) “[I’m especially fond of] Bingo events.”
Similar to commuters, there is still a small portion of residential students who do not participate in social events. This is often due to prior commitments.
“I go to work once my last class ends and I come back to my dorm when events are already done. I would like to go to the events but work and schoolwork kind of get in the way of that,” said Hannah McClaughry (‘26).
Commuters are presumed to not participate in clubs. This is due to commuters being unaware of when clubs meet. However, there are still a minority of commuters who participate in clubs.
“I am involved with Phi Delta Theta, but other than that, my involvement falls under Greek life,” said Constan.
Unfortunately, even some commuters who know club schedules cannot attend the meetings due to other commitments.
“I personally am not in any clubs at the moment. With being [the] manager of the commuter lounge and other outside-ofschool activities, I haven’t found the time to join a club on campus this year,” said Frazier.
Residents organically participate more often in clubs. This creates a stronger sense of community because they are surrounded by peers who share a common thread.
“I’m in one club, [and it is] ASCD [the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development]. I went to one event, and I think it’s important to get involved in clubs involving my education major,” said Mosnicka.
“The only club I’m in right now [is Student Air Traffic Controllers Association], but I’m trying to join the Aviation Club, as well,” said Nevins.
Alike commuters, there are residents who do not participate in clubs because they cannot balance the extra commitment in their schedule. Without this consideration, their grades may be at stake and their hobbies will not be enjoyed.
“At the moment, I have a lot on my plate between class [and] homework, work, my two music lessons, and chorus,” said McClaughry.
Commuters may not be known for spending a lot of time on campus; however, they tend to gravitate towards residential students, becoming acquainted with peers in their courses. Not to mention, there are more residential students than commuters as many students live far away from campus.
“I am involved on campus, so I have quite a few resident[ial] friends,” said Frazier.
“[I have] a lot of residential friends,” said Neil Guttman (‘25), “which is really convenient
because, if I want to meet after work and stuff, they are always free.”
Meanwhile, there are commuters who stick with only commuters because they have a strong similarity to each other.
Residents tend to have a larger circle of friends, often leaning towards ‘their own breed’ because there are fewer commuters to become kindred with.
“All of the friends I made here live on campus, and I met them during the move-in week. I have a [difficult] time [chatting with] people I don’t know already, so making friends is hard,” said McClaughry.
There are still a minority of residents who are friends with commuters. Unfortunately, friendships between on-campus and commuting students do not
always involve frequent communication.
“I have a friend of mine who’s a commuter off-campus, but I don’t see him too much because we’re in different programs,” said Nevins.
At the end of the day, it’s evident that commuters have plenty of similarities with residential SNHUdents. Something to remember is this: commuters are students, too.
After a three-year hiatus due to COVID-19, in-person Homecoming returned to campus from October 14-16. Many alumni and parents were found exploring the campus, participating in events, and attending athletic events.
Homecoming is a treasured event and a great opportunity for alumni to reconnect with the campus they once called home.
During the Street Fair on October 15, the SETA Green Space was packed with people enjoying food trucks and participating in events hosted by clubs on campus. Many had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the college experience once again.
Student Government Association President Stephanie Matte (‘23) is thrilled that the event is back in person for the first time since her freshman year.
“It was great to be able to have Homecoming back in person and to its full extent after years of being virtual or hybrid like we did last year,” said Matte. “Being able to
see alumni, their families and friends, and current students, staff, and faculty come together to enjoy the Street Fair put on by so many campus partners really brought life back to campus and the Green Space.”
There were many memorable moments during Homecoming, but one particular aspect of the weekend stood out to Matte.
“The thing that stood out to me about this year’s Homecoming was the alumni to current student ratio,” said Matte. “I felt that we would see more current students out and about around campus, but there were a lot of alumni and their families that came around, which was great. I think a lot of current students were just overwhelmed...since this is likely the first full-out Homecoming they have seen at the higher education level.”
There is a sense of tradition that comes with Homecoming; the importance of keeping that tradition alive rests upon the students. After a few years of uncertainty and change, SNHU’s revamping Homecoming proves that the school prioritizes its
alumni.
“Homecoming includes a lot of components and events for the alumni community specifically. They don’t call it Homecoming for no reason,” said Matte. “SNHU has such a strong community during students’ undergraduate time that Homecoming really does become an event where alumni truly come back home.”
Going forward, Homecoming 2022 is an event that students, parents, and alumni will remember. The SNHU community looks forward to Homecoming 2023 and bringing alumni back to campus.
“I think the SNHU community can expect to see a lot of similar components from this year, including the street fair and food trucks, along with many of the class reunion and alumni celebrations,” said Matte. “Hopefully, next year we will have more students involved with the celebration and an even larger number of alumni, as that community continues to grow with the graduation of the Class of 2023.”
The college experience amounts to juggling class, work, schoolwork, and other obligations. In between those priorities, students take on various clubs, organizations, and sports. They also attend campus events.
While this is the presumed life of a typical college student, participation in various events and organizations has been at a low for the Fall ‘22 semester. This leads to the question: what happened to SNHUdent participation?
Traditional events, such as the Involvement Fair and Big Money Bingo, have garnered the expected turnout. However, other events hosted by campus-wide organizations are seeing minimal to no interest.
Radio SNHU hosted one of their most popular events, Name That Tune, in the Pub on October 3; despite high turn-outs in the past, no one showed up to participate in the event.
Attendance to social gatherings has been sporadic due to several factors, as noted by Student Government Association (SGA) President Stephanie Matte (‘23).
“From an SGA perspective with our events, participation has struggled a bit but there are a lot of factors that play into [it], weather being the biggest one, but we still had very successful events,” said Matte. “I think the lack of participation may come from the overwhelming feeling of getting involved. I remember my first year wanting to get involved but they were so many things that I wanted to join and I didn’t know which one to join first or try first.”
Nowadays, student schedules are filled with obligations; between maintaining GPAs, work, and other responsibilities, there is little time to partake in on-campus activities.
Accessibility to campus events vary, most commonly involving timing. Many are held during class time. Others are held at night, making it more difficult for commuters to join. Even residents prefer to remain in their dorms rather than go out.
For many new students, it can be overwhelming to be thrust into many new opportunities. It equally amounts to being unsure of what events are or what they have to offer.
“The beginning of the year is always tough for Penmen Pride events as new students don’t know what the program is. However, I think we are finally getting to the point in the year where most students know what Penmen Pride is and go to events where they know they can earn Penmen Pride points,” said Matte.
While some organizations have faced struggles with seeing attendees at events and meetings, other campus establishments are thriving.
One of the most popular events on campus that has seen consistent attendance is Thursday night karaoke hosted by Phi Delt. Traction to this event is boosted by the “wet” shift at The Last Chapter Pub.
Other organizations, such as CAPE, also continue to see traction toward their events.
“Event attendance this year is
better than ever. Students have been interested in our events, new and returning,” said CAPE President Nicholas Gaston (‘23). “Last year, we were having a hard time getting students to our events because of COVID protocols, so it is nice to see the spring of student life this academic year.”
Getting involved on campus is important because it allows students to discover their interests, help them with their career pursuits, and create connections with their peers. Joining campus organizations can help a student make friendships that last throughout the course of the college experience and beyond.
Attending events are also a great way to be active on campus. For one, SNHU hosts many events that can assist a student in their future endeavors, such as the Career Fair. However, that’s not the only way students can get out there. Taking part in non-academic events is a great way to take a break and even reward oneself for an accomplishment.
College is for experimenting, which is why it’s essential for students to join extracurriculars and attend events. Everyone has adult responsibilities on campus, so joining in on-campus activities provides a rest from demanding schedules. They’re a great way to bond with peers and let loose.
SNHU’s Sustainability Week is set to occur from October 22 to October 29, during which multiple events will be hosted. The Environmental Club has events going on in correlation with Sustainability Week.
Recent events the Environmental Club has hosted include tree planting, planting garden boxes at the Lincoln and Conway apartments, and participating in Homecoming.
During the tree planting, five serviceberry trees were planted near the Dining Hall and the Tuckerman Hall path. The tree planting event was held to raise awareness of sustainability efforts. The event had an appearance from SNHU President Paul LeBlanc, who helped with the tree planting.
The garden boxes event was held at the Lincoln and Conway apartments. The boxes were planted last spring and are now starting to show progress.
The table at Homecoming displayed invasive species such as Burning Bush, Japanese Barberry, and Oriental Bittersweet, providing information and fun facts about them.
Environmental Club Vice President, Ruby Bratcher (’24), went over the events the club has coming up in October.
On October 22, they will be hosting a clean-up of Livingston Park in Manchester from 1-3pm in collaboration with the Chandler Center. Information about the event, transportation, and meeting place will be available to students prior to the event.
Other events for Sustainability Week include a Microsoft Teams kickoff event on October 24 from 1-2pm.
October 25 is set to host several events. First, the “Learn and Taste
How Sustainability Snacking Can Be Yummy and Good for the Environment” will run from 11am to 2pm in the Dining Hall. This event will also be held on the fourth Monday of every month from 1-2pm.
The other two events being held on October 25 are Microsoft Teams events. The first, “How to Get Other People to Care Stakeholder Engagement for Organizational Change,” is scheduled for noon to 1pm. The second, “Simply Sustainable: 10 Easy Steps You Can Take to Make the Environment a Better Place,” will be from 3-4pm.
On October 26 is the “Lunch and Learn green Cleaning Tips at Home- You Can Be Clean and go Green!” event on Microsoft Teams from 11am to noon. On the same day, the invasive species removal at the SNHU Arboretum will be held from 2-4pm. The Arboretum is located by Gustafson and is accessible for commuters and residents to join the efforts.
On October 27, the “Lunch and Learn at the Millard: Brining Nature Home-Make Your Own Terrarium and Learn Simple Ways to Incorporate Nature with Mental
Wellness” will be hosted from 11am to noon. Limited space is available for this event, with a cap of 25 participants. RSVP is available through sustainability@snhu.edu
Finally, on October 29 is the “Odds and Ends Clean Out Sale” from 8 a.m. to noon in the SETA Annex upper and lower lot.
All of the Microsoft Teams events links will be provided by the Environmental Club and Chandler Center on posters around campus through QR codes.
Students interested in sustainability and conservation efforts can attend the Environmental Club meetings, which are held in Robert Frost room 321 on Wednesdays at 2pm. Updates on club events can be found on flyers around campus, as well as on their Instagram: @snhuenvironmentalclub_. In addition, students can email the club at environmentalclub@snhu. edu with additional questions or to be added to the email list.
The Office of Sustainability is also available to answer questions regarding sustainability, which can be sent to sustainability@snhu. edu.
The SNHU Esports Arena is up and running. Varsity teams for Valorant, League of Legends, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros have begun their season this fall. So far, the teams have competed in the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) against other universities in the nation.
The Valorant teams Blue and Yellow are both 1-3, and are looking to secure some wins in upcoming matches. Meanwhile, the Super Smash Bros teams started strong with a 3-0 score for the Blue team and 1-2 for the Yellow team. The Rocket League and League of Legends teams are also at 3-0.
Colby ‘Cdubs’ Fox (‘23), a varsity player on the Valorant Blue team, shared his thoughts on the NECC season.
“1-3 is a tough start, but looking at our round differential, I’m hopeful. Our wins [have been easy], and our losses have been super close, so if we can just tighten up then I see no reason why we won’t go far this season,” said Fox.
Sean ‘Peachy’ Lightbody (‘24), a Valorant Yellow player, also gave his thoughts on how the season is going.
“Our season has had a lot of bumps, but I think with the right system in place, we can get back on track,” said Lightbody. “[There were] a lot of silly mistakes and protocols that have cost us a lot of rounds. Ironing those out with the team will take a lot of time but I’m hopeful we can pull through.”
According to the official NECC schedule, SNHU Blue and SNHU Yellow have four more matches out of this eightweek portion.
The Esports team live
streams their matches every night on Twitch. On Monday, they stream Valorant, Tuesday is Super Smash Bros, Wednesday is League of Legends, Thursday
is Overwatch, and Friday is Rocket League. While open hours at the arena close at 5pm, it remains open for students to watch the team in person.
ESports match (image courtesy: Elise Fasano)
Two of SNHU’s tennis players have been reeling in personal awards upon their return to the court. Magdalena Hubickova (‘23) won NE10 Player of the Week during the weeks of September 21 and October 4. Jonathan Berling (‘25) won the same award the week of September 27.
Hubickova, who comes from Prague, Czech Republic, has a history of winning awards with the SNHU tennis program. On April 27, 2021, she was named NE10 Player of the Year, also netting Player and Rookie of the Week during that season.
Hubickova discussed the team dynamic and what this season has been like so far.
“I cannot be happier to be part of this year’s team,” said Hubickova. “We have many new faces…. The old group bonded with these girls so well…we support each other and motivate each other to become better and better.”
Although she is no stranger to winning awards, Hubickova remains humble, knowing there is work to be done.
“I am a person that is never satisfied. Even when I win a match, I will come to my coach and tell him all the things we need to work on,” said Hubickova. “However…when there is a challenge in front of us, I know I can count on my team.”
She continued to discuss what the awards mean to not only her, but those around her.
“I am beyond grateful that I have two of the NE10 Player of the Weeks. The reality is that this award goes not only to me; it goes to my team,” said Hubickova. “They are the ones standing outside the court, cheering me
on when I am down.”
Men’s Tennis player, Jonathan Berling from Moss, Norway, is also adept at winning awards. The week of April 19, he won both Player and Rookie of the Week. He went on to win the NE10 Vern Cox Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and placed first-team No. 1 Singles and Doubles for the 2021-2022 season.
Berling acknowledged that the men’s competitive season isn’t until the spring, however they have been playing matches and competed at the ITA’s in New York City.
Berling expressed his love and appreciation for his opportunity to play collegiate-level tennis. “I have a lot to improve on; but first of all, I just enjoy playing every day… My end goal would be to try to [play] professional,” said
Berling.
He discussed what it would take to improve on the court. “I focus on how I can hit the ball better and have better movement on the court and to understand how I should play tactically,” said Berling.
Berling also discussed the meaning of the NE10 Player of the Week award he recently won. “It was cool to get the NE10 award. The award doesn’t really matter to me. It’s cool, but just going out on the court to enjoy my time with my teammates is the best,” said Berling.
Hubickova and Berling work to improve their performances in order to reach their goals. They continue to express their gratitude for the team dynamic of the SNHU tennis program for their success.
The Southern New Hampshire University Penmen Press is a news publication produced by Southern New Hampshire University students and funded largely by the Student Government Association of the University. It is our responsibility to inform the SNHU community about events on and around campus. The Penmen Press will print any material found to be factual and in good taste by the editorial staff of the paper. The views published do not necessarily reflect the views of Southern New Hampshire University. The Penmen Press is published monthly during the academic year and is printed on campus by Copies Plus. To contact the newspaper, please email us at penmenpress@snhu.edu
