Penmen Press Volume XIXX Issue XII

MEET THE STAFF

Co-Editor-in-Chief Taylor Posik

Co-Editor-in-Chief Chris Tutt NEws

THINGS TO KNOW

News

New Joy to Campus – Faculty Spotlight: Joy Schmelzer

Cedric-Luamara Atlas Staff Writer

Joy Schmelzer is the new Residence Life Director and faculty member at SNHU.

Schmelzer works in the Residence Life Office located in the Green Center. She introduced herself and her background to fellow staff members and students.

“I was the former director of residence life at Salem State University in Salem Mass,” said Schmelzer. “I love that SNHU is so creative and innovative, [it] fits everything I was looking for in my next position. So I applied, I came for a day interview, and I met so many people here. I felt like this [was] the place I wanted to be.”

As of February 10th, Schmelzer has been officially on campus for fifteen days, while also having fifteen years of residence life experience under her belt. She has previously held the roles of Residence Director, Assistant Director in Residence Life, Associate Director, and Senior Associate Director at other colleges.

Before arriving on campus, Schmelzer shared 25 fun facts about herself with the staff on campus.

“[I wish] they could see me outside of my title. That I’m a person, and I like gnomes, or I have a bucket list, or I’ve [that] swam with dolphins, or all these things. I think that it’s important to know that you can connect with one another on at least one thing,” said Schmelzer. “I’ve had a really positive experience. I didn’t start at a traditional point where most people would start, I mean the beginning of the school year, I started midsemester. So things have been rocking and rolling, students have been back since January 1st, and

even though I’ve started at not a traditional time, people have been super welcoming.”

Schmelzer was an undergraduate at Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire, where she got her degree in Communication. She then proceeded to get her Masters in Educational Leadership with a specialization in Higher Education Administration at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.

“Fun fact, I actually wasn’t an RA. In Keene State, there was a rule that you couldn’t serve on a community council or residence hall association and also be an RA. It was a conflict of interest,” said Schmelzer. “I chose to be part of the residence hall association and advocate for change inside the building I was living in. I ended up getting very involved in student leadership, so I have [a] student leadership background, but not like a traditional RA. I think most directors of residence life have, so I think I have a unique perspective in engaging students in making change.”

Schmelzer spoke about the importance of viewing your residence hall as more than just a place to sleep.

“I think that’s the difference; a lot of people don’t realize that when you hear the word ‘dorms,’ you think going into Bed, Bath, and Beyond...[and] ‘dorm essentials,’” said Schmelzer. “But we call them residence halls. The difference between ‘dorm’ and ‘residence hall’ is that a dorm is a place you just sleep, [and] a residence hall is where you build a community. So that is my ultimate goal.”

Students are free to visit the

Residence Life Office and socialize, as they are not restricted to only needing to have an issue to come in and say hi.

Schmelzer shared these key pieces of advice: don’t be afraid to ask questions, and don’t be afraid of titles.

“Sometimes it’s hard to ask the ‘why’ or ‘where can I get this,’ but it’s worth it. Don’t be afraid to engage in a department you haven’t engaged with before, or ask a question and say ‘hey I really need assistance in this area,’ because there [are] a lot of resources and a lot of willingness to help that students may not even know is there.”

The Residence Life Office is here to help all students living on campus have a positive experience. They hope to create an environment where residence halls are places people want to live, rather than a place they have to stay. They engage with students and the residential community here on campus, and if students communicate any issues or need advice, the Residence Life Office is there to assist.

Director of Residence Life Joy Schmelzer (Image courtesy: Joy Schmelzer)

SNHU Announces Change in Dining Vendor

Chris Tutt Co-Editor-in-Chief

SNHU is set to change its dining vendor to American Dining Creations (ADC) after fourteen years with Sodexo. Dean of Students, Dr. Meagan LaMarca, sent an email to the SNHU community on February 2 informing the student body of the decision. The email gives a rundown of the new organization and why the change was made.

“This new partnership is the result of a long, complex process to review our dining services experience, which all started with your feedback. I would like to especially thank the student representatives who joined our professional staff over the last year, committing their time and energy to researching options, visiting other schools’ dining centers, and sharing detailed, thoughtful feedback,” said LaMarca in the email.

The change in vendors is the product of a process in which the university took bids from dining companies. The process was spearheaded by Sue Elsass, Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Campus Initiatives, and Heather Lorenz, Vice President of Student Affairs and Campus Initiatives. During the process, Elsass and Lorenz tested out the dining options at other universities with the help of students in the SNHU community. SNHU made sure to remain consistent with best practices and sought out bids for the betterment of the student body.

“For an institution where the student experience is high on the priority list, I would always go out to bid for something that was this big. Most things are under contract

for three, four, or five years, but a dining contract is usually longer,” said Lorenz. “Regardless, even if this situation was top notch, it would be responsible to go out to bid to make sure what we had was meeting the student [expectation].”

With an emphasis on the student experience, making a decision this large wasn’t one that the university wanted to make without gathering the perspective of the students. After receiving feedback, SNHU decided it was time for a change.

“The student feedback, of course, was taken into consideration with the decision,” said Lorenz. “…we started to see student feedback in different avenues, whether it be Sue [Elsass]’s space, social media, annual surveys, etc. Anytime there’s something a student needs to say, we’re going to listen to it and if it’s appropriate to make a change, we are certainly going to do that.”

With the new vendor, students can expect to have multiple brand options on campus. There will be a Dunkin’ Donuts on campus, as well as an Einstein’s Bagels which will feature a late-night option. Additionally, Starbucks will remain an option at select locations on campus.

“We will still serve Starbucks at a few of the locations; Webster Hall and the café in the library. Dunkin’ Donuts will be here…and we’ll have Einstein’s Bagels,” said Lorenz. “I think the [Einstein’s Bagels] is proposed [to be open] until 10 P.M.”

In a world that shifted due to COVID-19, the mindset of

students and what they expect in a college experience was something to be handled delicately.

“Pre-pandemic, we had a good pulse on all things [regarding] the student experience. Then, post-pandemic, everything got more complicated,” said Lorenz. “Things changed; student’s needs, desires, and interests changed…we needed to make sure that we responded to that, and this [change] was a part of that. Students came back [postpandemic] with a higher level of expectation.”

Society today focuses on bettering the planet and finding unique ways to help our environment, and ADC as an organization prioritizes that focus. Included in that will be the introduction of an indoor “microfarm” in the Dining Center.

“There are so many things, which is one of the reasons why this company was selected. What you’ll see from them is an intentional social responsibility and sustainability plan, which is cool, and students are really jazzed about sustainability and locally sourced products. [ADC] is going to create an indoor ‘micro-farm’ inside the Dining Center where they will produce their herbs,” said Lorenz.

In addition to sustainability, ADC also brings a variety of unique ideas to its services. According to Lorenz, ADC is focusing on a comprehensive social responsibility plan. This plan would focus on food waste, composting, recycling, disposable service wares, eco-friendly products, and local suppliers,

among others.

“We like the creativity that they have; they bring a lot of cool concepts,” said Elsass. “The other thing is that they are smaller, more regional, [and] privately owned, and that brings a nice benefit to it. We are moving from a big national company that served us well [Sodexo], but we’re excited to work with a company that might be a little nimbler and more flexible.”

Many students value the connections they have with Sodexo employees, and the new vendor is open to retaining those employees.

“[ADC] is very interested in keeping employees that would like to stay….The employees will have the choice; they can either interview and go to a Sodexo account or ADC has three different presentations that they will give to employees to recruit

them to stay,” said Lorenz.

The meal plan format is still up for discussion but will be agreed upon soon. The university is choosing between two different options for the next school year.

“We’re going to do one of two things; option one will be like [the plan] that you have now, which is an a la carte meal plan where you pay for what you eat. Option two is what is called a ‘membership meal plan.’ This plan is cool, and we had never heard of it; we were skeptical at first because it sounds too good to be true. It would be one meal plan price for all students; you can eat wherever and whenever, and you don’t have to pay…we will be going to this plan [eventually], we just don’t know if it will be in year one or year two,” said Lorenz.

The price of the plans will, likely, be decided within the next week and will focus on student

needs and affordability.

“The price of the membership meal plan [hasn’t been finalized] but would be cheaper than our most expensive meal plan, currently,” said Lorenz. “…for us, it’s about access and affordability. The business model must make sense for both SNHU and ADC for us to consider it...with this new model, it removes the complexity of a meal plan and allows more flexibility for the student body. We believe students will see great value in this new type of meal plan.”

With the SNHU community eager for change, ADC is ready to take over and provide students with a variety of options, while also prioritizing the student body.

“[ADC] wants to take care of the staff first,” said Elsass. “They want to take care of people first, which speaks to who they are for a company.”

SNHU chooses American Dining Creations as next vendor (Image courtesy: Chris Tutt)

SGA Hosts Town Hall Meeting On Academic Changes

Taylor Posik

Co-Editor-in-Chief

The Student Government Association (SGA) held a town hall meeting in the Upper Dining Hall on February 7. Attendees were able to ask questions and share their opinions on the recent announcement regarding academic changes.

Prior to the meeting, SGA Vice President of Budget and Finance Paige McNamara (‘24) discussed why it was being held.

“After that email was circulated and faculty had a town hall, there was a lot of students who were upset with being left in the dark, and the faculty town hall went very poorly,” said McNamara. “We felt this was a good way to show that students can be just as informative, if not more respectful.”

According to SGA President, Stephanie Matte (‘23), SGA members were unaware of the email addressing program changes on campus.

“We had no idea that the email had even gone out, so we learned from other students. There are only so many things that SGA and our senators are connected to,” Matte said. “This town hall came up because students came to us and said, ‘What can you do to help us? Our program is at risk.’”

The town hall meeting began half an hour late at about 3:30pm, with approximately thirty people in attendance. The conversation was primarily led by Don Brezinski, Executive Vice President on Campus, and Cara Procek, Vice President of Academic Affairs. Other administration members were also present to provide their input, including Dean of Students,

Meagan LaMarca; Vice President for Student Affairs and CampusBased Initiatives, Heather Lorenz; and Vice President of Academic Operations, Jane Yerrington.

The meeting began with Brezinski stating that he was aware of the social media posts and email being circulated. He then opened up the discussion.

Attendees expressed concerns about the programs at risk of being “banked” or transitioned to minors. One discussion that arose was student concern for their professors. In response, Brezinski stated that they “are not terminating the professors.”

Subjects of conversation branched out to topics such as the shortened winter break, the SETA Annex, and other student concerns.

Following the results of the town hall meeting, Matte shared her thoughts.

“I think the town hall...went really well. I think students were asking really good questions of administration and I think it was a great way to bring administration back to a student level and get students and administration interacting again, face to face,” said Matte.

Matte discussed how students were also able to bring up other concerns they had regarding campus functions that the administration wasn’t aware of, such as the lab fees at SETA.

Matte and McNamara also noted that the faculty town hall meeting on January 11 was “pretty unruly.”

“The faculty [town hall] did not go well at all. It was...disrespectful,

naturally so as they did not get much say in this consideration. I think a lot of people think that these things are set in stone but they’re only recommendations to Paul,” said McNamara.

Matte described the student town hall meeting as being “polite.”

“We felt that our students really asked their questions in really respectful ways. They really did a great job at keeping their questions to the point while also still applying pressure to administration to get their questions and get their points across without being completely outrageous,” said Matte. “I’m really proud of how our students handled themselves.”

When asked about her thoughts regarding communication between SGA and administration, Matte said, “I hope that there’s the opportunity in the future moving forward for a member of student government to be involved in closed-door conversations. I think communication is a twoway street. As much as SGA reaches out to administration to ask questions and get answers, administration could also be reaching out to students, specifically to SGA, to invite students to be part of their conversations and to hear the student perspective.”

Matte wanted to remind students that SGA is there to listen.

“When you have a concern or suggestion on campus, please come to us. We’re here to help you, we want to support you, [and] we want this to be the most

positive experience you can have. We also want to make things better for the future of SNHU students,” Matte said. “Student government is here for students. We’re here to support students, we’re here to be the voice of

students to administration.”

SGA is planning to host more town hall meetings with specific focuses, as well as ones open to general topics. They also encourage all members of the SNHU community to join their

senate meetings, which are held on Tuesdays at 5pm in the Green Center, room 102A. Students can also visit their office located in the Student Center, room 15, or send an email to sga@snhu.edu with questions.

Study Abroad Program Changes

Lillian Nelson Lifestyle Editor

SNHU students are going to see changes to the Study Abroad program for the ‘23-’24 academic school year.

Study Abroad Program Manager, Scott Snyder, went over the program for students who are unfamiliar with the process.

“For our short-term FacultyLed Programs, we can only use a third-party provider, Education First. Previously, these programs were handled directly with our select few international university partnerships. Using Education First allows our faculty to choose locations where our international university partners are not able to organize programs, so we will have a lot more opportunities to really see the world,” said Snyder.

Snyder went on to talk about the program options for students.

“For our semester abroad programs (Fall and/or Spring), we can only send SNHU students to the international university partnerships we have an exchange agreement with. This means the international university will also send their students to come to SNHU for a semester or full year, helping with our campus internationalization. Any of the partnerships that were not an existing exchange (i.e., a tuitionpaying partner) are now going to be a Summer-only option.”

Countries previously held in Fall and Spring semesters, including France, Greece, Ireland, and Italy, will be held in the summer. SNHU is working to provide opportunities

for study abroad trips to Chile, Ecuador, and New Zealand for the Fall and Spring semesters. However, no decisions have been made.

The Study Abroad program will now be sending online students to Faculty-Led Programs.

“This was a huge accomplishment for our office and university, and something I have been hoping and dreaming of for about a decade or so, [since] I have been here. I am so thrilled to finally have this opportunity available for our online learners,” said Snyder.

Snyder listed the Fall and Spring semester options for students.

“For a Fall and/or Spring semester, we have England, Germany, Japan, Spain, and Sweden. As mentioned, we hope to keep Chile, Ecuador, and New Zealand as options for a Fall and/ or Spring semester. We also have the National Student Exchange that has host campuses in 150+ universities across the U.S., Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.”

He also went on to mention the Summer Semester options.

“For the Summer semester, we were able to open our first program in Africa, with a campus in Tangier, Morocco. We are really excited about that. They have a new state-of-the-art facility great for science majors, with organic chemistry lab classes. We also have summer programs in France,

Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and Spain,” said Snyder.

For students planning to study abroad this semester, Synder also discussed the available options.

“We still have our semester and short-term programs available. This academic year 2022-2023, we sent students to England, Germany, Japan, and Sweden in our exchange agreements. We also had students in California and New York this year with our domestic exchange program through the National Student Exchange. Over the summer [of] 2023, we have students going to Limerick, Madrid, and Sicily,” he said.

SNHU will also be hosting several Faculty-Led Programs departing in May 2023. Locations they will be traveling to include Japan, Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, and Spain.

“The changes came into effect for the Spring 2023 semester, and all students who were applying were notified of any changes to our programs and these students are currently studying abroad with an exchange university,” said Snyder. Summer programs, including trips to Limerick, Madrid, and Sicily will still be offered. Students can also check out trips to Florence, Barcelona, and Tangier.

“For a Fall and/or Spring semester, we have England, Germany, Japan, Spain, and Sweden available. Hopefully, we can keep Chile, Ecuador, and New Zealand available as an

option. Perhaps [they will also be available] in Spring 2024 if all goes well,” said Snyder. “We have several Faculty-Led Programs already determined for May 2024: ‘Environments and Culture in Costa Rica,’ and ‘Germany, Italy, and Switzerland,’ and ‘Intercultural Studies in Greece.’ SNHU campus faculty are in the process of submitting more proposals, so we hope to include a few more

programs for 2024,” said Snyder. There will be a $200 discount from Education First for students who sign up before May 31, 2023.

“As mentioned, there are many more possibilities for our short-term Faculty-Led Programs through Education First. But this will depend on where the SNHU faculty decide to go. We are trying to encourage and diversify the locations we travel to, while

keeping in mind what are the more popular and likely to succeed destinations,” said Snyder.

For more information about Study Abroad and how to apply, go to SNHU.edu or go to the International Student Services Office located in the Green Center. Students can also email questions to studyaboard@snhu. edu or go to their website, snhusie. com.

SNHUs Snow Removal Communication

Lillian Nelson Lifestyle Editor

Student drivers on campus have experienced weather events that required them to move their cars to approved locations on campus. Snow is removed from the parking lots by SNHU Facilities/Grounds and a vendor. Depending on the affected areas around campus, the snow removal routes change based on the weather.

James Winn, Assistant Vice President of Public Safety, discussed the snow removal efforts.

“Every storm is different depending on the amount predicted and the duration of the storm....SNHU Facilities/Grounds and the vendor each have their own designated areas of campus to maintain during weather events. If needed, routes can be deviated based on need and safety concerns,” said Winn.

Students are notified no later than 2pm on the day/night of plowing specific parking lots. Public safety and the Campus Communication Team send out snow removal information via social media. Residence Life also sends emails to students to notify them of plowing so they know to move their cars.

The Communications Team posts notices to all class-closed Facebook groups, the SNHU Facebook story, and Instagram.

Residence Life sends emails to all campus residents, and Public Safety puts out an SNHU alert that notifies students by text or email as well.

All commuter lots are plowed and treated on the first night after and/or the day of the storm. This all depends on when the storm ends and if Facilities can get commuter lots cleared. On the second night after the storm, Facilities and the vendor clear snow in all East side resident parking lots with the exception of lots 26 and 37, which are cleared on the fourth night if needed. The third night after the storm, Facilities and the vendor clear snow in all West side resident parking lots.

“[Public Safety] Officers, as time and staffing allow, will also try [to] locate owners of cars that still need to be moved. [They] often will send individual texts or call students specifically to tell them to move their car,” said Winn. “This, however, is very time-consuming and is done as staffing and time allows. We do our best to give this final notice of an imminent tow for snow removal to individual car owners. This is only possible if a car has a parking decal, and we are able to determine who owns the vehicle.”

Winn explained what would happen if a student doesn’t remove their car.

“Public Safety utilizes several towing vendors located in Manchester and coordinates with them prior to and during the towing event. Public Safety will also send the students that got towed an email saying they have been towed on the following business day,” said Winn.

Winn also discussed where vehicles go when they are towed and how students are charged for it.

“Vehicles with parking decals/ and PS can identify the owner are towed from one parking lot to another parking lot and the fee is $100 (charged to their student account). If Public Safety can’t identify the owner of a vehicle/ vehicle has no decal, the vehicle is towed off campus back to the tow company impound yard,” said Winn. “This will add additional charges to be paid directly to the tow company when you pick up your vehicle from them. These charges are set by the towing company on a case-by-case basis and the charges include towing, storage fees, and gate fees,” Winn said.

The Public Safety office is located in the Morrissey House, next to the Shapiro Library. They are reachable by email at safety@snhu.edu, or by phone at (603)645-9700.

Black History at SNHU

Sophia Peguri Staff Writer

During Black History Month, SNHU honors the triumphs and sacrifices that African Americans have undergone throughout U.S. history to today.

Dr. Lowell Matthews, Associate Professor of Global Business and Leadership, spoke on what Black History Month means to him. He shared the importance of Black history not just in February, but every month.

“I realize that in my position here at SNHU, I don’t take it lightly. I realize that the individual before me had to knock down particular barriers so that I can be here….I feel as part of my responsibility not only during Black History Month, but yearround, [is] to continue to knock [down] more barriers so that individuals that are following in my footsteps can do even better than I am,” said Matthews.

Matthews spoke about his position at SNHU and reflected on the accomplishments made by people across generations toward equality. These movements have allowed him and many other Black Americans the opportunity to become professors.

“Every day I wake up, it is Black History Month,” said Matthews. “SNHU has a vibrant community on campus, and really opened that up for me by inviting me in to be part of it. SNHU was willing to have those conversations, and it’s been 10 years, and I’m still at SNHU because of that conversation.”

SNHU looks to continue to create opportunities around campus by hosting events, panels, and educational outlets for students and faculty. These opportunities will

expand knowledge and host conversations for the SNHU community to understand what Black history really means.

“There is so much information accessible to students, faculty, and everybody. There is so much information about this topic to consume and educate

yourself about….I think the more educated we become as a society, we’ll have a better understanding of how to move forward,” said Matthews. “One of the best ways and easiest ways to engage, acknowledge, and celebrate Black History Month is to read Black history.”

Dr. Lowell Matthews (Image courtesy: Dr. Lowell Matthews)

A&E & Opinion

Preventing the Fall of the Lego Tower: Identifying Burnout and Tips for Burnout Prevention

Zachary Andersen Staff Writer

Burnout is that feeling when life’s opportunities stock up like a child’s Lego tower, one block away from falling over. American culture requires us to spend a large portion of our day at work, which for many is the main source of the climbing Legos. It might also be school, extended family, or the kids; but it is burnout regardless of the definition or source.

The following are ways to identify indicators that you are trending toward burnout. It is important to understand tangibles that signal you are heading down the road to burnout before you reach it.

Understand your mental baseline for activities, and know when there is increased frustration. Self-awareness is the first line of indication and de-escalation.

Look out for cues from people within your inner circle. Outside of self-awareness, my wife is my second-tier indicator that I am progressing down the path of burnout. At this point, I have been unable to quell my stress and frustrations, and my optimistic mindset has been defeated. My wife knows that I am a direct communicator, so she will ask me if I am doing all right or tell me to slow down. Some people may communicate in a non-verbal method by trying to distance themselves from you, or attempting to snuggle up on the couch to get you to relax.

Hobbies and activities that were once enjoyable are no

longer enjoyable. Once chores become more irritating, walking the dog becomes a burden, you lack desire, you don’t enjoy watching sports, or you find that hanging out with your wife and children is a waste of time, you know it’s time to recalibrate and mitigate some of that stress in your life.

To prevent burnout, there are four things that can help to mitigate stress.

Change your mindset: don’t view everything in your life as a task or chore, but as an opportunity for growth. In most stimulating events, you can control how you process the information and the response you have to stimulation. Have fun with the chores and introduce things that make them seem more worthwhile. On long commutes, I enjoy listening to audiobooks and podcasts so I am learning as I drive.

Optimize your day: not everything has to be 100 percent or, put another way, not everything needs to be a sprinkled doughnut. Use time or quantity constraints or benchmarks to increase the acute stress on a project. This stimulates the feeling when you procrastinate on your course final project. Another key to optimizing your time is to put yourself in a state of deep work, which includes eliminating distractions. I do this by putting my phone on the other side of the room and denying myself the ability to search anything

online, outside of the context of the report. If I have an unrelated idea, I will jot it down and revisit it after I complete the present task.

Another example of optimizing your day is meal prepping. Spending less time cooking and doing dishes every night will free up time for other things. The dichotomy of this tip is that you can’t optimize everything and need to strike a balance with things that need to be savored.

Prioritize and execute: do the most important tasks first, because sometimes you won’t have time to do everything. This principle is difficult, especially when you must balance work and your home life. You cannot shuffle these two roles and responsibilities together. However, your ability to prioritize and execute in one will certainly affect the other. Additionally, you have to prioritize based on timelines, impact, effects on other coworkers, and significance to the organization. Prioritizing based on just your personal beliefs is not always effective.

Learn how to detach: this applies to leaving work at work and leaving school at school. You need time to separate from these stressful environments to decompress and enjoy other facets of life. Moreover, the effort will help you clear your head, and help alleviate the feeling that you’re constantly carrying around the weight of work or school. One way to help

detach is by having a closing procedure to signify the end of a work session. You are done with work or school and moving on to something else. For me, this includes cleaning off my desk, reviewing my list of tasks, and re-prioritizing them for the next morning. This allows me to leave the office feeling that I will not miss anything and that I

know exactly what I need to do when I arrive the next morning.

This will also likely alleviate stress with your family or significant other, and reach a point of harmony. When you’re actively thinking about a project at work, you might miss an important component. When you’re at home, doing dishes, or working out, you might stumble

upon a brilliant, new idea related to that product as your mind is possibly thinking about this.

These tips can help reduce stress in your life and allow your mind to think with greater clarity and agility. They can help you realize that the best way to start a good Lego tower is with a solid foundation, not those flimsy 2X2 blocks.

SNHU Drama Club to Put on “Dinner Theatre”

Emily Blais Marketing Manager

The SNHU Drama Club is putting on its play, “Dinner Theatre.” A dinner theatre-style play has actors perform on a stage while the audience enjoys their dinner. In previous years, “Dinner Theatre” productions included a murder mystery, a vampire story, and a funeral. The play will be performed in the Walker Auditorium on Friday, February 24 and Saturday, February 25 at 7:00 pm; doors open at 6:30. There is no cost for admission, but it is on a first come, first serve basis.

Drama Club president, Peter Howard (‘25), discussed the plot of this year’s show. It will be a modern telling of Cinderella.

“The story is about a boy named Eric who joins with Peter to host a secret ball. However, things get hard for Eric when his Karen-like mother would trap him at home for her own deeds,” said Howard. “Things turn out badly when Peter’s twin siblings plan to stop the party.”

They went into detail about the club’s thought process going into the production, including their plans to include improvisation.

“We wanted to try to do a show that’s loose-scripted. They would follow a script but also

improvise throughout the show,” said Howard. “The process is basically finding an idea of what it is, how we perform it, then adding improvisation to make it more interesting and funnier.”

Howard elaborated more about going off script. They noted that the club goes off script sometimes and interacts with the audience almost like an improv show would run. “Be prepared if we ever pick you,” said Howard.

Millie Balasco (‘23), the secretary for the Drama Club, spoke about the rehearsal process.

“With each rehearsal, more

and more gets added onto the script,” said Balasco.

Sitting in the living room watching a fairytale is a pastime that many college students find comfort in; getting to experience it live will certainly spark some nostalgia.

“Anyone who comes to see the show can expect to have a great time, and see a fun, modern twist on [a] fairytale,” said Balasco. “Our actors are hard-working and hilarious, and you can expect lots of quick and witty humor. Not to mention, who doesn’t love entertainment with their dinner?”

Walker Auditorium. (Image courtesy: Emily Blais)

Lifestyle

Office Spotlight: Office of Diversity Programs

Emily Blais Marketing Manager

The Office of Diversity Programs (ODP) is a home away from home for students of all identities. The main goals of the office are support, education, and celebration.

Kayla Page, Senior Director of Inclusive Learner Engagement, discussed the basis of the office.

“There’s a lot of things that are essential in ODP. We spend a lot of time thinking about ways in which race, ethnicity, country of origin, and socioeconomic status are part of who you are and how you experience college,” said Page.

Page added that members of the office consider how different backgrounds, such as sexual orientation and identity, also play into the college experience.

“[The goal is] to help students feel seen and find a community

that is relevant to whatever their labels might be,” said Page.

Page also went into detail about the functions of the office and how it relies on identity.

“Our job here at ODP is to try to make sure that students can learn about new things that might be a little different from their own culture,” said Page, “and also make sure that students that do identify a little bit differently can find other people [like them] and don’t feel isolated.”

SNHU and ODP offer affinity groups, which are gatherings of people who have a common identity. Examples of these affinity groups include Men’s group, Sisters of the Yams, and STEMinist. These groups are student-led and tie back to the main function and goals of the office.

“It’s not just a party for people who identify a certain way, but a scaffolded process of support,” said Page. “They’re a culmination of all of these things coming together. They’re pretty great.”

The ODP office holds various events. On February 9, they worked with the Inter-Greek Council to host a Black History Month Jeopardy. ODP will also be working with the Multicultural Student Union to host the Sole Food Dinner in the Upper Dining Hall on February 26.

The Office of Diversity Programs is located in The Green Center, room 105. Students looking for more information can follow their Instagram, @snhu_ officeofdiversityprograms. Additionally, students can email inquiries to inclusion@snhu. edu.

Office of Diversity Programming. (Image courtesy: Emily Blais)

Sports

Intramural Sports: Always an Option

Adam Dufault Sports Editor

Students at SNHU are welcome to participate in intramural sports year round. In both the Fall and Spring Semesters, SNHU Campus Recreation organizes a variety of intramural sports for all students. These sports are held at Larkin Field, the Stan Spirou Field House, and other recreational facilities on campus.

Campus Recreation offers sports including, but not limited to, cornhole, dodgeball, flag football, softball, futsal, table tennis, volleyball, and soccer. Students are able to either create teams with their peers or join teams that have open roster spots.

Students who are registered for intramural sports are listed in the online system, which is run through IMLeagues. Those who are not listed on a roster are “free agents.” Free agents are open to joining or being selected by any team at any point until playoffs begin for the respective sport.

SNHU Campus Recreation Supervisor Dom Jones (‘24) spoke about the importance of getting involved with on-campus happenings such as intramural sports.

“I think intramural sports are a great way to meet people, make friends….There are so many different sports you can play. You don’t need to be good at just one, you can go out there and have fun,” said Jones.

Jones also spoke about students’ opportunities to choose who they play with and how that impacts the intramural experience.

“You can create your own team with your friends, you can create your own team and let free agents join, you can be a free agent and join whatever team you want, or you can just pretty much pick up random people and make a team,”

said Jones. “We saw a flag football team that was all [students] who didn’t know each other…and they all became friends and they had a great season.”

SNHU Campus Recreation took a hit after going online for the 20202021 school year. Upon returning to campus, they faced a shortage of employees, which meant that sports were unofficiated. Jones spoke on what kind of impact the return of referees has had this year.

“I see intramurals being a lot more fun this year with refs…. Having students being refs, it’s not going to be perfect, but it gives it a sense of organization that last year didn’t have,” said Jones.

Jones went on to discuss that while intramural is primarily for fun and community, it withholds the natural level of competition among athletes.

“It gets pretty intense for being

intramural. A lot of people that are playing these intramural sports were athletes [before college]. Everyone kind of has that competitive nature in them, so [games] do get heated once in a while, and it’s a lot of fun, but [we have] the refs to keep everyone in line,” said Jones.

Jones concluded by encouraging students to keep busy and recommending they partake in intramural sports on campus.

“I think it’s huge for your mental health, to be completely honest,” said Jones. “I enjoy looking forward to something….I think a lot of people want to look forward to something at the end of the day and to be with their friends and be competitive and have fun doing what they love to do,” said Jones.

All SNHU students are welcome to register to participate in intramural sports on campus through the IMLeagues website.

SNHU Penmen Basketball Court (Image Courtesy: SNHU Penmen Athletics)

Penmen Baseball Team Enters Season Nationally Ranked; Multiple Players Earn Accolades

Chris Tutt Co-Editor-in-Chief

In the past ten years, the SNHU baseball team has had consistent success. The program has won four NE10 championships in its history; two of which have come in the last two seasons. Not only are the Penmen ranked number one in the NE10 preseason coaches poll, but they are also ranked seventh in the nation by NCAA. com.

The team has six bats returning to the lineup and three pitchers returning to the rotation; three of these players have earned regional accolades. Pitchers Trevor Anibal (‘24) and Josh Roberge (graduate student), as well as utility man Cristian Mercedes (‘24), were named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason All-East Region team.

Anibal also received national recognition, being added to the NCBWA Preseason All-America Honorable Mention list. Last season, Anibal went 6-0 out of the bullpen with a 1.83 earned run average (ERA) according to snhupenmen.com.

Cementing himself in Penmen lore, Anibal is just the 13th Penmen in the program’s illustrious history to earn AllAmerican status, according to snhupenmen.com. Anibal is thankful for the award and sees it as motivation as SNHU baseball begins its season.

“I feel honored to be given this kind of preseason award,” said Anibal. “This [award] gives

me more motivation to play well this season and help my team take care of our unfinished business from last year in the World Series.”

Entering the season as one of the veterans, Anibal emphasized that experience will help the team get over the hump this year and, hopefully,

win some more rings.

“I think we have a great team this year and a lot of players who are going to have big seasons,” said Anibal. “This team has a lot of older veteran guys who have a lot of experience in big games. I think this team can be really special and I’m excited to start the season and get to work.”

Coleman Field at the USA Baseball National Training Complex (Image Courtesy: SNHU Penmen Athletics)