Students enrolled in the Fitchburg State University Police Program's Recruit Officer Course (ROC) had their monthly meeting yesterday afternoon in Weston Auditorium. After an address by Academy Director Alexandra Wysocki,  Fitchburg State University Police Chief Michael Cloutier moderated a BIPOC Police Panel Discussion. Students heard from Officer Michael Chesson, Fitchburg State University Police, Capt. Lisa Butner, Tufts University Police (retired Lieutenant MSP), Officer Daniella Lopez, Fitchburg Police, Officer Frimpong Antwi, Gardener Police, Officer Dennis Siaw,, Gardener Police, and Officer Carlos Cintron, Leominster Police. 

The Office of Alumni and Giving held the first of their two Gratefulness Mini Events in the Hammond G-Lobby. Students were given the opportunity to send a Thank You to our donors, whether a personalized card, a photo, or both.

Institutional Research and Planning (IRP) held its first meeting of a new journal club, Research Roundtable, with following sessions on the first Wednesday of every month. They will be exploring literature on higher education practices and enhancing data and literature literacy. They will discuss selected research papers and share insights relevant to our campus community. At this his inaugural meeting, an article about improving retention through a belonging intervention at a broad-access Hispanic-Serving Institution was discussed.

On Wednesday, Nov. 13 @ 7pm, the Communications Media Department will begin the run of  its Fall theatrical production of American Undergroundby Brent Askariat theTheater for the Performing Arts in the McKay Complex at 67 Rindge Road. Admission is FREE and open to the public. The story; In the not-so-distant future, an interracial couple enjoys a visit from their college-aged son when a young Muslim woman arrives at their back door. She’s looking for safe passage via a new Underground Railroad as Muslims are being detained and imprisoned. Suddenly, a government official knocks on their door, wreaking havoc on the family. They must decide how much to risk to save an innocent woman. This thriller takes us inside a stark vision of an unapologetic America.  Opening night is a benefit performance for the Ashmadiyya Muslim Community/Fitchburg Islamic Center. Following this performance only, there will be a brief Q & A with members of this community. While there will be no admission charge, donations are welcome. Learn more about the production and the schedule of performances here. 

Students assist Technical Theater Professor Jo Nazro putting some of the final touches on the  set for the upcoming production of American Underground at the Wallace Theater for the Performing Arts in the McKay Complex. Learn more about the production and when to see here. 

Yesterday afternoon, the campus community joined our active military and veteran students for a moment to acknowledge the service given by so many men and women of the armed forces. At the event, alumnus Theodore "Ted" Thompson Jr. '66, a member of the Esoteric Society was honored, 1st Lt. Thompson was killed in action in 1968 during his service in Vietnam.

Communications Media's Professor Charles Roberts assists students in his Compositing and Visual Effects course. This course delves into advanced visual effects and finishing techniques using modern acquisition and post-processing tools. Topics covered in class include matte generation and clean plate techniques, chroma key shooting and post-production, pre-visualization for effects shooting, rotoscoping and keyframing techniques and project workflow and management. Students will master a minimum level of competency with a range of advanced compositing applications, producing a final project of complexity and quality from pre-visualization through output to target medium.

Students in Criminal Justice Professor Dr. David Weiss Theory & Practices of Policing course examine the nature, history, role, operations and management of law enforcement agencies. Additional topics explored include police powers, investigations, use and abuse of police force, police corruption, crime prevention and the future of policing. 

Game Design Program Professor Andres Gonzalez performs a series of Play Tests on students' game projects in his Game Level Design course in the Gaming Suite in the Conlon building. 

An unsuspecting Peter August, Assistant Dean of Enrollment School of Graduate, Online and Continuing Education (SGOCE), made his way to the President's Conference Room where President Donna Hodge,  Chief Information Officer Stefan Dodd, Chief Information Security Officer Eric Boughton and Cameron Emanuel of our Technology Department presented him with the inaugural Fitchburg State University Phishing Award. After making his way back to the School of Graduate, Online and Continuing Education (SGOCE) Offices to brag a bit to his co-workers, the trophy was given a place of honor in Peter's office.