(Photo: Gabriel Vega)

by Gabriel Vega
edited by Billy Holland

Community Assistant’s Ashley Russell and Scott Martin are getting ready for a night on duty in the First Year Area.

Martin sits to call into a phone that uses a recording system that allows Experienced Directors to be informed when the CA’s sign in for duty.

“This is Scott and Ashley, it’s 7:59 p.m. and we are signing in to the first year area,” says Martin on the phone. The CA’s then sign a master key out of a lock box and begin their first round.

The CA’s walk from hallway to hallway throughout Granite, New Hampshire, and Mount Washington Halls.

Starting off in Granite, the CA’s take take down advertisements that are outdated and if need be that night, post new advertisement up to keep residents informed.

Walking down one quiet suite and hall after another, the CA’s check every bathroom and common room assuring there are no problems needing to be addressed.

“Res life,” Martin announces as he checks a bathroom. Walking into a suite, the CA’s check the lights, furniture, and check the fridge to assure things are working properly.

The CA’s both carry a radio that helps them communicate with other staff members throughout campus. On the radio, Experienced Directors can listen in on every CA in their designated areas.

Campus Safety and  Rindge Police also tune into the radio always aware of what is going on in the campus community.

(Photo: Gabriel Vega)

As the night continues laundry rooms are checked for broken machines and all exits are checked to be sure they are locked for the safety of residents.

“This dryer isn’t working, I’ll put it in the duty log and let the ED know,” says Russell.

The CA’s write down which machine is broken in their log, that is later updated to an online database and addressed as soon as possible to be fixed.

The CA’s run into another fellow staff member and they discuss Fall schedules and nights they will be on duty.

The radio echoes through the first year area as Breanna Crawley, the ED on duty that evening, contacts the CA’s.

(Photo: Gabriel Vega)

“40 From 36?” says Crawley.

“10-5,” says Martin.

“What’s your 18?” Says Crawley.

“Granite three south,” says Martin.

“Can you meet me in the granite staff office?” asks Crawley.

“10- 5, We’ll be there in five minutes,” Martin responds.

The CA’s head to the Granite Staff Office to be greeted by the ED. They update each other on any issues so far and assure the night is going smoothly.

“How’s the night going so far?” asks Crawley.

(Photo: Gabriel Vega)

“So far so good. We found a dryer that wasn’t working that needs to be fixed,”  Russell answers.

“Alright, make sure that gets put into the duty log,” says Crawley.

Both CA’s, the ED, and other CA’s who happen to be passing by discuss ideas for events and greet students who walk by the staff office.

As the night goes on the CA’s continue to check all exits, laundry rooms, bathrooms, walkways between buildings, and chatting with residents. They are always readily available and focusing on communication as key factor on a night on duty in the first year area.

Duty usually ends around 12:00 a.m. that night after they do a last round to be sure a resident isn’t in need, and the first year area is calm.

(Photo: Eric Riley)

by Eric Riley
edited by Billy Holland

It’s about 6:30 pm when various actors, stage members, and other crew members start to make their way into the Warehouse Theater for another rehearsal for the Spring production of HAIR.

As brief greetings are exchanged, the outline for the night is announced and notes are given from the stage manager and director about previous rehearsals. Meanwhile, the cast starts their warm-up exercises and stretches.

The first song of the night to be rehearsed is one of the biggest group highlights of Act I, as well as the title-track of the show, “Hair.”

Following a quick recap of choreography, the cast ran through the first act of the show.

At a few minutes after 9:00 pm, the cast was given a few directing notes during a ten minute intermission before starting Act II.

At around 10:15 pm, Act II concluded, and the cast seemed extremely pleased with their performance, agreeing it was the best performance to date.

The show opens April 11 in the Warehouse Theater and runs with a half a dozen performances through the 15.

by Yasmine Akib
edited by John Mahon III

(photo by: Yasmine Akib)

Fourteen members of the Raven Thunder dance team are rehearsing for the Cedar Crest disabled children’s organization performance this Saturday in Keene.

The girls have been preparing for this since February and they will put on a two-minute dance with kid-friendly music from the movie Rio.

“I am very excited to perform and to put smiles onto disabled children’s faces,” said team member Darina Paulino.

The dancers make use of a wide variety of hand and body motions, including enthusiastic pirouettes. The music has a sense of Latin flavor that give an upbeat vibe that is palpable.

The Raven Thunder dance team donates a hundred dollars to Cedar Crest each year.

(Photo: Rob Church)

Sophomore Community Assistant Lily Bliss has quite the interesting life in the sophomore dormitory of Cheshire Hall.

In her first semester working as a Community Assistant in Cheshire Hall, she has gotten to know the typical daily lifestyle inside the dorm.  One observation that she has made about the daily lifestyle inside the building was much quieter than her previous residence of Granite hall.

“Though the suites in here are different, I’ve noticed it’s not really as rowdy as it was in Granite, and most nights are usually calmer,” said Bliss.

During these calm nights, students who live in the suites of the dorm occasionally use the kitchenettes to make a meal for themselves or their fellow suite mates.

Students who have these kitchenettes have the option of having a small George Foreman grill, which cooking and grilling things is also a common past time for residents.

Aside from making a meal, students also like to spend their time hanging out in their suite’s lounges with their friends.  As a standard each lounge comes with a TV in which students like to equip with video game systems, DVD players, or other entertainment systems.

Though these are other common past times in the dorm, there are a variety of activities students enjoy to pass the time in their suites.

“Everyone uses their suite differently.  How time is spent depends on the suite; on the personality of the people living there,” said Bliss.

Although most students living in Cheshire enjoy a calm and peaceful lifestyle in the dorm, there are occasional problems that make living there unpleasant at times.

The most common problem experienced in the dorm is the fluctuating temperature.  Bliss has actually gotten a few complaints about this temperature problem.  “I’ve gotten some complaints about it being too cold and about it being too hot,” said Bliss.

(Photo: Joe Sousa)

by Joe Sousa and Rob Church
edited by Billy Holland

There are many students in the library tonight. The main entrance to the library has a few students on computers and personal laptops casualy doing schoolwork.

Library staff member Lydia Caron, said,”Tonight is busier than most typical Thursday nights.”

” A lot of professors are giving projects for the end of the semester so more and more students are starting to come to the library,” said Caron.

Senior Pam Roux and Junior Lindsay Mullens are spending their Thursday night in a library study room doing take home tests and essays.

Mullens said, “I don’t normally spend Thursday night in the library, but I had a lot of work so I decided to get it out of the way before the weekend.”

Photo Credit: Leslie Rodgers

by Leslie Rodgers
edited by Alicia Baldino

The Gamers Club began at 8:30 pm. in Marcucella 102 and started off by discussing what Student Government Association events are planned for the rest of the year.

The Gamers Club covers many topics at their weekly meetings.  The list included tournaments, new business, old business, and games.

The Gamers Club also announced three new members to the executive board, replacing three graduating seniors.

The club brainstormed many new fundraising ideas for the start of next year.  They want to get freshmen interested so they  join.

Junior President Hunter Fredrickson said, “I joined Gamers Club because all the people were really friendly. As soon as you join the club it’s immediate friendship.”

The Gamers club is the largest club on campus. 26 members attended the meeting tonight.

(Photo: Joe Sousa)

by Joe Sousa
edited by Billy Holland

Intramural soccer is one of the many activities taking place at the Bubble tonight.

The intramural soccer season has just started and the Amish Pharmacy is preparing to take on the Honey Badgers in the second game of the season.

Dave Schwartz is a member of the Amish Pharmacy team and is very excited about tonight’s game. “It’s a lot of fun to come out on Thursday night and play soccer, and we hope to win the game tonight.”

The Honey Badgers won a close game 3-2, and the Amish Pharmacy hope to rebound in next week’s game.

In the Warehouse Theater, 17 students are rehearsing for the upcoming spring play, Hair: The Great American Tribal Love-Rock Musical on a set of unique design.

(Photo: Karrianne Carter)

Rehearsal started at 6:30 p.m. and is expected to run for a few hours. The plan for the night is to run through both acts of the play. The first act is estimated to be about one hour, while the second act is a little shorter.

“Right now, we are doing short pieces we need to work on before the actual run-through,” said director Nancy Stone who is a theater professor.  She sat in front of the actors and quietly observed their rehearsal.

The play takes place during the Vietnam War in Bohemian New York City. It tells the story about a tribe of Hippies that are fighting conservative America and the war.  One member of the group must choose between his peace-loving friends and his own beliefs, or succumbing to the government by enlisting.

At 7:30 p.m., the actors were led by choreographer, Professor Wendy Dwyer.

“Move those hips!” yelled Dwyer over the music, “Get those knees up!”

(Photo: Karrianne Carter)

Dwyer worked with the students on their placement during the song, “Going Down.” They arranged themselves and practiced several times until Dwyer decided it was time to add the music. Simultaneously, the stage crew was working on different tasks.

Stage Manager Sarah Asbury and Assistant Stage Manager Kayla Pendleton helped with running the music and gathering props.

Around 8 p.m., everyone took a short break for water and fresh air. There’s a mix of laughter and questions with the director resounding in the theater. Some sit on the sides checking their cell phones, while others take advantage of the break to step outside.

The actual performances will be held on Wednesday, April 11 through Saturday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. There will be additional performances at 2:00 p.m. on April 14 and Sunday, April 15 as well.

The Bubble was hectic at 7 p.m. when Team Staff played Lisa Frank in intramural soccer.

Team Staff and Lisa Frank met at midfield to begin the game, getting the rules for the game and the decision on which team would start with the ball.

Team Staff got off to a very fast start scoring three goals in the first six minutes of the game.   The first half ended with a score of 6-0 with Team Staff in the lead.

In the second half, Lisa Frank tried to rally back scoring two straight goals in the first six minutes of the second half.  At one point, Lisa Frank was able to cut the lead to just three.

Team Staff bounced back, though, and scored four straight goals defeating Lisa Frank 13-6.

“We had two soccer players who play for the school on our team,” Team Staff player Justin Adams said.  “We just used them and got open so they could make plays.”

The next intramural soccer game will be played Tuesday, April 3 at 7 p.m.

(Photo: Tailyr Cross)

by Tailyr Cross
edited by Marissa Bilancieri

Professor James Maybury introduced Soloma Furlong as someone who “felt like an outsider in the only community she ever knew.”

Furlong spoke in Spagnuola Hall tonight.  She used to be Amish, and eventually left for numerous reasons.

“I did not feel safe. I had to be the mother and father for the seven of us. Also, my older brother Joe was brutal and abusive; I was more scared of him than my parents,” said Furlong. She would retreat into the woods behind her house when things got rough.

Sophomore Ashlyn Bourgeois said, “I didn’t know the Amish lifestyle was as rough as it is. It seems like the men showed their dominance with violence and women needed to be submissive.”

Furlong’s visit to Franklin Pierce is her 88th time sharing her story. She is currently writing a book with her husband, David, which is titled,”When We Were Young, and She Was Amish.”