This morning, Vice President for Student Affairs Laura Bayless welcomed President Donna Hodge and the Student Affairs staff to join her for Kick-Off 2024-25 in the Main Lounge of Hammond Hall. President Hodge thanked the staff for all their efforts made for the success of our Fitchburg State University students as well as fielding questions.

Students in Communications Media's Assistant Professor, Film and Video, Rachelle A. Dermer's Pre-Production Planning for Film/Video class review projects. This course considers the intent and purpose of a message as a first step in media production. The social and cultural implications of media storytelling are examined. The course focuses on clearly defining message content, intent and audience as a precursor to an exploration of how particular film and video techniques communicate and are interpreted. Teams will subsequently develop the pre-production planning needed for a short film or video work, including idea development, script treatments, story development, script writing, rewriting, storyboarding, script breakdown, production scheduling and resource planning. 

It was all smiles yesterday afternoon when the always popular therapy dogs paid a visit to the Hammond Tower Lounge, Students got a little break from classes, tests and projects by spending a little time with Mocha, Zelda, and Penny. 

Fitchburg State University Police Program Academy Director Ola Wysocki held orientation for the first year students enrolled in the Fitchburg State University Police Program's Recruit Officer Course (11th ROC) yesterday in the Falcon Hub. Director Wysocki introduced Assistant Professor Michael S. McCutcheon, Academy Instructor Sgt. Jeffrey Giles of the Townsend Police,  Lt. John Boucher of the Ashburnham Police, and Detective Sergeant Richard Nelson of Fitchburg State University Police Department who gave an overview of the program. Members of the Eighth ROC were on hand to help with the orientation.

This afternoon, as part of the Fitchburg State University Constitution Day 2024 C.L. Lindsay III, J.D. (Attorney, Author, and Student Advocate) presented Knowing Your Rights: Title IX and Gender Equity on Campus in the main Hammond Lounge. Constitution Day is observed each September in honor of the document’s signing on Sept. 17, 1787.

This afternoon, the Fitchburg State University community got the chance to to Pie a Pi. For a small donation, people could throw a pie at a member of Sigma Pi. Learn more about Greek Life here.

Junior nursing students were tasked with measuring and administering medications to an eight month old, an eight year old, and two adult patients in the simulation lab this morning. The Nursing Simulation Laboratory assists nursing students in learning critical thinking and clinical judgment skills in preparation for their healthcare careers. The “manikins” act as lifelike patient simulators, wherein instructors provide real-time feedback via a control center, giving students as close to a hospital scenario as possible. Fellow students watch as their classmates work through the simulation. All students and faculty debrief after the scenario.

Krysta López, Interim Director of our Center for Diversity and Inclusiveness hosted a Flag Raising Ceremony on the Alumni Quad (between Hammond Hall and Thompson Hall) this afternoon in to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month. Our annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration of the contributions and influence of the Hispanic and Latinx/a/o community to our history and culture is observed with a series of entertaining and informative events September 15 - October 15.

With the help of our good friends at Fitchburg Access Television (FATV) including Executive Director Nathan Glenny, and Operations Manager Travis Falk, students in Professor Kevin McCarthy's Multi-Camera Television Production course got to see what it's like to set up a remote multi-camera production at Elliot Field. From set-up to break-down, teams of students got to operate the cameras, act as subjects, and see how to put the final production together in real time in the FATV remote production truck.

The 10 members of the 7th Fitchburg State University Police Program's Recruit Officer Course (ROC) at Fitchburg State were sworn in as police officers on Friday September 13, 2024 before an audience of family, friends, elected leaders and public safety professionals. All of the graduates of our groundbreaking program have already been hired by police departments across the state. As the Chief of Training, of the Municipal Police Training Committee told the assembled graduates, they are poised to be future leaders in their profession. Good luck!