The Nursing Department faculty and staff treated our Nursing Students to a break before the holidays with their homemade treats and cocoa. A welcomed break before the finals begin.

Today, the last day of classes for the semester,  Counseling Services kicked of Finals Frenzy week by giving out ice cream sundaes in G-Lobby in the Hammond building. In addition to the ice cream, students were offered an array of wellness and relaxation activities including, adult coloring, inspirational & affirming phrases, relaxation exercises, snacks and more! Counseling Services strives to provide an inclusive space that honors the strengths, lived experience, and uniqueness of each individual. Our counselors provide services focused on wellness, growth, and self advocacy, in order to enhance your success at the university and in the larger community. Good Luck on your finals!

Students enrolled in the Fitchburg State University Police Program's Recruit Officer Course (ROC) had their last monthly meeting of the semester yesterday afternoon in Weston Auditorium. At this meeting, the Drill Instructor (DI) had a "hats off" conversation with the students. When a DI has a “Hats off” conversation with a group, it’s a signal to the group that it will be an open discussion, it’s a time to teach/mentor/coach and a time for the group to relax just a bit. When the hat goes back on, it’s a signal that the DI is back in the traditional DI role.

Theater Concentration, Communications Media student Rebecca Joseph, who recently played Ruth Younger in the university's production of  A Raisin in the Sun, used her talents in our Nursing Simulation Laboratory where she played a patient. After getting her characters backstory, the scene began with Rebecca in the Clinic waiting room to be called by a team of Nursing Program students who were unaware of her ascribed condition.

The Fitchburg State University Dance Club held their annual Winter Showcase Friday night and Saturday afternoon to packed and boisterous audiences. Each performance was choreographed by a member of the club, and the performances were amazing! Senior Kayla Matthews and her self-described Proud Dance Dad served as emcees for the event.

Yesterday evening, the Fitchburg State University community gathered on the Highland Ave. Plaza for the Annual Lighting of the Campus. Members of the staff each spoke briefly after the Fitchburg State Choir began the festivities. Holidays that were spoken about were St. Nicholas Day, Fiesta de Guadalupe, St. Lucia Day, Los Posadas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Dong Zhi, Soyaluna, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, Hmong New Year, and Three Kings Day/Epiphany. In closing, both President Lapidus and Student Government Association (SGA) President Miranda Gustin made remarks, then led the crowd in a countdown to the lighting of the campus.

Professor Kisha Tracy, and students in her Global Middle Ages course, assembled some informational packets,  "Hildegard's Horde," a medieval miscellany of entertaining education, as a take away for next week's Choral Kaleidoscope performance. On Tuesday,  the Fitchburg State choirs as well as voices from Gardner High School, Murdock High School and Narragansett Regional High School, will perform in Weston Auditorium. Among the selections performed will be pieces from the Middle Ages by Hildegard of Bingen. The packets are full of information about Hildegard of Bingen, the Middle Ages, and more.

Associate Director of Student Development & Commuter and Volunteer Affairs Shane Franzen placed the lights on the Highland Plaza Holiday Tree in preparation for the Fitchburg State University Annual Lighting of the Campus. The campus will gather at the plaza for the Lighting of the Campus this Thursday, December 1, at 4:30. 

Students in Professor Donald Tarallo's typography class took a break from the Macs and went "old School" - creating prints with letter blocks, ink, and a printing press.

This afternoon, TRIO, the Academic Coaching and Tutoring Center (ACT), and Disability Services hosted a Friendsgiving event. Students were treated to a hot chocolate bar and baked goods set up in the lounge area outside the three offices.