As students embark on their first day of final exams, the Office of Student Development set up a grill and gave away hot dogs to mark the day. Not to be outdone, Counseling Services offered ice cream sundaes. Check out the photos!

Today at the North Street Bistro was the fourth, and last, Staff Appreciation event which was held simultaneously at the McKay Café. Staff were treated to a beverage, and a snack, with their tickets entered into a prize raffle.

Housing and Residential Services held it's 1st Annual Lighten Your Load event in the Falcon Hub. Students were asked to donate any items that they may not want to bring back home; clothing that they won't wear but someone else may, or any non-perishable food items that they don't plan on eating before the end of the semester. With games,  snacks, drinks, and a DJ for  entertainment, students were eager to help out. Anyone who donated were entered into a raffle for a $50.00 Amazon gift card.

Engineering Technology Department Chair, Dr. Nirajan Mani, award prizes and certificates to the winners of the Engineering Technology Project Competition yesterday afternoon. Awardees were; Winner: Elijah Hill for "Exploring the application of Thermally Modified Lumber in the United States Construction Industry", 1st Runner Up: Jaime Avalos, & Michael Gonzalez for "Self-Watering Plant", and 2nd Runner Up: Cameron Sousa for  "Potential Public Safety Threat within a Smart Building." Congratulations to the winners and all the students who participated.

Tables were set up outside the North Street Bistro and Falcon Hub for today's Study Abroad Fair. Students, faculty, and staff set up and were available to discuss their experience in taking advantage of our Study Abroad Program. Nursing students, who recently returned from a 10-day trip to Costa Rica, where they practiced public health, were eager to highlight this trip and it's positive impact on their educational journey here at Fitchburg State University. Get more information here. Like the sign says, "The World Awaits."

The reception was the last meeting of Professor Kisha Tracy's Writing II class this semester, in which attendees celebrated the Heritages of Change exhibition, and heard from current students about their new mini-exhibitions that will be exhibited next spring. This is also a reception to thank you for those who helped with the exhibit in any way - from the students in my Spring 2021 Writing II class who contributed their work to the Deans' Anti-Racism fund to the coordinators at each of the sites who helped make them all happen, to other Writing II instructors who asked for tours, and, if our Adult Learning in the Fitchburg Area (ALFA) mentors who felt comfortable visiting in person.

Phi Sigma Sigma held their Scoop and Jump for Jimmy fundraiser on the quad today. There was ice cream, and lemonade, and an obstacle course available for a small donation with all proceeds going to The Jimmy Fund. Thanks to a generous donation by Dr. Catherine Buell, Director of the Honors Program, students from the Francis Drake School in Leomisnter MA got to enjoy the obstacle course. Those students, and students from the Longjo School in Fitchburg, MA, were on campus for a collaborative project called Students and Social Justice. FSU honors students and Dr. Danette Day worked on the project along with  The Friends of the Abolitionist Park, and The Forge Theatre Lab. The students got to work off some energy before boarding a bus back to their school, and our students had a great experience, a win, win!

Yesterday afternoon the Office of Student Development hosted a Commuter Appreciation Event all over the Hammond Building. Students were treated to popcorn, cotton candy Corn Hole, Can Jam, Jenga, therapy dogs (including our own Odin), personalized street signs, and a wildly popular petting zoo. Check out the photos!

This year's Visions, a juried honors exhibit of the Communications Media Department, opened with an Alumni Panel featuring Monique Guthrie '19, David Ginisi '16, and Mike Gauthier '20, in the Ellis White White Lecture Hall. This lively discussion was followed by The Gallery Opening, followed by Theater Showcase, and a Film & Video Screening. Thank you to the alumni, jurors, Communications Media faculty, students, and staff. The Exhibit will run until June 27, 2022. Get more details here.

The Fitchburg Activities Board (FAB) sponsored Spring Week continued with today's "Secret Surprise" in the Hammond Main Lounge. Hints were dropped and some guessed and made sure they showed up on time. It turned out that they were right to do so as it was the wildly popular Build-A-Bear. Students chose from a polar bear, a traditional bear, a llama, a black lab, or an elephant.