As the smoke of her lit cigarette floats up above her, Katherine Surdam lets out a deep sigh and sits down on the milk crate behind Friendly’s. Taking out her phone, she checks her messages.  She lets out a deep breath, “No messages from Milo, the kids must be okay.”

On December 15, Kat gave birth to her second girl, Kaya Emily Surdam.  In three weeks, she was right back to working at Friendly’s.  “I had to come make money. Milo’s income alone was not working for two kids,” says Kat as she snubs out her cigarette.  As we walk back into the restaurant, I see that she has gotten two new tables.  She washes her hands, and goes over to her section of the restaurant to deal with her customers.

Kat is fast.

She is able to take orders, bring out more than one drink at a time and bring out food for her tables in a matter of minutes.  She has been a waitress for many restaurants, including Cracker Barrel.  Blonde hair bouncing throughout the restaurant, she does her job and does it well.   “I have regulars; they come in just for me.  They tip really well too,” says Kat.

During her breaks, she checks her phone or calls her husband Milo to check on her two kids.  Fingers full of rings, she sends a text to her husband.  “I would rather be home with the girls, but with Milo laid off for the winter, my income is needed.”  Being a waitress is not ideal for raising a family, but living in the small town of Bennington Vermont, Kat does what she can for right now.  “I don’t see myself still at Friendly’s in this year.  Hopefully, I can finish school and find a better job.  Friendly’s is not so friendly when you have two children.”

For now, she punches in orders, and goes home to her kids.  Slowly working on getting out of Bennington, and her carton of cigarettes.

Watercolor Paintings by Mary Lou Burness

By Whitney Pettibone
Edited by Adam Stahl

Mary Lou Burness, and her husband Don Burness donated two water color paintings to the Ingalls Library in the Rindge Town Center on May 4, 2010.

A group of about 30 people gathered in the adult section of the library to celebrate Mary Lou and the donation she was giving the library.  Everyone went up and hugged Mary Lou, as Don went around saying thank you to others in the library.

The Burness’s have been going to the Ingalls Library for 42 years.  Mary Lou has been an avid reader and exceptional painter.  She has always been in love with books and traveling.  After bouts of illness and strokes, she is wheelchair bound and cannot speak very well.  Her son Phil Burness was there to give a speech on the family.  “My mother is an adventurous and curious spirit who is a great lover of the written word.  She always has had a book in her hand,” her son said.

One of the paintings Mary Lou donated was of the Pont sur L’Ouveze in France.  The other was of sunflowers in a vase.  She painted them both in 2001, before the strokes.

Mary Lou has always been an exceptional painter.  Her and her husband have traveled all over the world, but they have a great attachment to France.  “We were married in France,” Don said, “we lived in a tent for eight months and traveled everywhere.”  They would go to art museum after art museum, and read every book they could find.

“Mary Lou is a very interesting person, but when you have strokes it takes a lot away from you,” Don said.

To see the paintings go to the Ingalls Library in the Rindge Town Center.

Mary Lou Burness and son Phil Burness

Housing Lottery 2010 begins tonight at 6pm in the Field House.  Live coverage will be updating here, in The Exchange, of the free houses and the ones that have been picked for next year. Heather Riley will begin tonight with the upcoming seniors.  James Connelly will report on the junior housing for next year, and Jasmine Shin will be reporting on the sophomore housing for next year.

Housing Lottery for Next Year Seniors:

Heather Riley (6:07pm) Ken Ervin is explaining how students will get what they put in.  For example: if they sign up for a Lakeview Townhouse, you will get a Lakeview Townhouse.  The crowd seems excited, they cheered when Irving started to talk.  The Field House is pretty full.

HR (6:09pm)  They are going to go through name by name and call it three times.  If no one comes up to sign up for a house, they miss out and onto the next name.  There are five tables set up for Lakeview and Sawmills.

HR (6:11pm) First houses called are Sawmills and Efficiencies.  He calls a few groups at a time to keep it organized and running smoothly.  So far so good.

HR (6:16pm) They just took the sign down for the Sawmill table.

HR (6:19pm) Saw Mills is full because they were only filling three apartments in Sawmills for next year.

HR (6:21pm) No one can sign up for Sawmills anymore.  The three apartments Irvin was looking to fill, are full.

HR (6:22pm) Lakeviews 12-20 seem to be the most popular.  There is a large group standing in front of that table.

HR (6:23pm) So far everything is running smoothly.  No one has had any complaints and students are leaving with what they wanted.

HR (6:26pm) Irvin made an announcement to speak with a few students.  Hopefully there was no mix-up or roster problems.

HR (6:29pm) The Fieldhouse is emptying out and getting quiet.  There are still no complaints.  Everyone I have talked to has gotten the exact housing they wanted.

HR (6:31pm) It has already been thirty minutes.  Most of the students have already picked.  This is a lot faster than last year.

HR (6:34pm) Lakeview Townhouses 7-12 are gone.

HR (6:41pm) Fieldhouse is just about empty.  According to Mary Holland, a current junior, she said this year’s lottery went way better, was more efficient and organized.

HR (6:43pm) The final group is picking their housing for senior lottery!

HR (6:50pm) Ervin said they did extra research this year and looked at retention numbers.  Everyone who signed up for either a Lakeview or Efficiency go what they wanted.  Even people who didn’t have full rosters got what they wanted. They filled 220 beds in thirty minutes.  Senior lottery went very smoothly.  We will see about the juniors.

Housing Lottery for Next Year Juniors:

James Connelly (6:47pm) Junior housing will be starting in about ten minutes.

JC (7:01pm) People are heading into the Fieldhouse.  Junior housing is about to get underway.

JC (7:07pm) Lottery is about to start.  The directions are being given.

JC (7:09pm) The first three groups of four that are called are all females.  People are clapping.

JC (7:11pm) Mountain View apartments will have renovations this summer.  The next three groups have been called.

JC (7:17pm) Things are going smooth.  They have already gone through thirteen apartments.

JC (7:22pm) The people leaving seem very excited.

JC (7:24pm) Twenty-three groups have gone and picked apartments so far.

JC (7:26pm) The people sitting in the bleachers who haven’t gone don’t look thrilled.

JC (7:35pm) They have gone through thirty-six groups so far.

JC (7:46pm) Towers “D”, “E”, “F”, “H”, “J”, “K” are all full.

JC (7:52pm) Towers “A” and “B” are filled.

JC (7:53pm) Freshman are crowding the entrance to the gym.

JC (7:59pm) The Towers are filled for the most part.  There are a few beds open in different apartments.  The last of the residents are talking about where they are going to live.

JC (8:05pm) There are only a few sophomores left, they are setting up for freshman right now.

JC (8:10pm) The Fieldhouse is getting packed with freshman and they aren’t even being let in yet.

Housing Lottery for Next Year Sophomores:

Jasmine Shin (8:02pm) The majority of the freshman class showed up to the field house early.  Everyone seems anxious.

JS (8:03pm) Ashley Cruz, freshman, says, “This is chaotic and I am confused about what to do.”

JS (8:07pm) Anthony Amorello, freshman, says, “I am tired and hot.  This is dumb and I don’t even think I am going to get my pick.”

JS (8:15pm) The freshman just got let into the gym to start the lottery.

JS (8:18pm) Everyone is seated on the bleachers and waiting for instructions.

JS (8:22pm) Everyone is annoyed.  They are complaining about the wait and how they had to wait outside and now that they are in the gym, nothing is happening.

JS (8:34pm) People are picking rooms, things are moving smoothly.

JS (8:40pm) People are trying to figure out who is in their hall now.

JS (8:42pm) Everyone is trying to get rooms in Cheshire Hall.  It seems to be the popular choice.

JS (8:44pm) People are quieting down now.  They are realizing they might not get the room of their choice.  Everyone is wondering which buildings are filling up quicker.  There is a line of people for Cheshire Hall males.

JS (8:48pm) Monadnock Hall male rooms are full.

JS (8:51pm) There is a huge circle around the table for Edgewood Hall female.  They are fighting for rooms.

JS (8:54pm) There is one room left for females in Edgewood Hall.

JS (8:57pm) Edgewood Hall female rooms are all gone.

JS (8:59pm) Cheshire Hall male rooms are full.

JS (9:02pm) The only rooms left are in Edgewood Hall for males, and Monadnock Hall for female single rooms.

JS (9:04pm) Edgewood Hall male rooms are the only ones left.  All the remaining males are called over to that table.

JS (9:20pm) Housing lottery is over.  Everyone got rooms in Edgewood, Monadnock and Cheshire Halls.  The remaining students who did not get room had to choose a random room in one of the three halls, with or without their roommate.

Branches of the tree in the Courtyard that was being climbed. Photo by Adam Stahl

by Whitney Pettibone
edited by Adam Stahl

Adventure Recreation had a Tree Expo in the courtyard outside Peterson Hall on Wednesday April 7 to promote their organization and to show how to climb trees safely.

With a series of ropes, pulleys, harnesses, and horseshoes, students climbed the big tree in the courtyard safely without harming the tree or its bark.  Junior Chelsea Ketchen, Campus Recreation employee and Student Coordinator of Adventure Recreation, was there to inform students about Adventure Rec. 

“This is the best way to show people what we are about.  We are trying to promote Adventure Recreation because it’s something fun and active students can be involved in.

Director of Campus Recreation Doug Carty made sure there was plenty of ropes for students to climb. Freshman Ben DiLauro was one of the students who scaled the tree and enjoyed it. 

“I think it’s really fun, I rock climb and I have tried ice climbing so I thought ‘why not?’,” said DiLauro. He has gone on previous trips with Adventure Rec.

Carty brought in an aborist to help clean up the tree and to make sure the tree was strong enough to climb up. 

“Arborist use this same method to climb trees so they don’t harm the tree.  Most people use spikes on their shoes to climb, and that rips the bark off the tree. We are using a horseshoe to go over the tree branch,” he said. 

 The horseshoe is a rubber tube that goes on the rope and over the tree branch.  This prevents the rope from digging into the tree, and holds the rope safely in place for the climbers.

The Tree Climbing Expo is one of many Expos Adventure Rec will be having.  “We are going to be having bouldering behind Ravencroft on the rock wall, slack lining, and kayaking,” explains Ketchen.  There will be another Tree Expo in the future too.

If you would like to become involved with Adventure Recreation contact Doug Carty or Chelsea Ketchen.

Photo Courtesy of Flickr

by Whitney Pettibone
edited By Adam Stahl

When driving by the Wellington Recreational Park in Rindge on a Wednesday morning around nine, you will see the parking lot freckled with cars.  Every week a group of senior citizens gets together for a “Recreational Coffee Talk” hour.

As the guests start to shuffle in, there is a place at the long table for everyone.  The men sit on one side and the women on the other.  The men tell dirty jokes, and the women talk about the men.  As they wait for coffee, one man shows his photography of birds he found in the Everglades.  Meanwhile, Rose Wart, the “leader” of this group, goes around making sure everyone knows when they have to bring food.

Since 1987, Recreational Coffee Talk has been happening every Wednesday morning.  There used to be 35 to 40 members.  “Most of us have passed away, but as we all get older, our children want us to move closer to them so they can take care of us.  We lost most of our members that way,” Wart said.

Wart, though, says she is here to stay.  “I have moved so many times, I am staying here [in Rindge],” she said.

The coffee hour has originally evolved from the Congregational Church in town.  Now, these people who come to coffee hour, just want to talk and share their stories.

New members are always welcome.  All you would have to do is get up and meet them at the Recreational Building in Wellington Park at nine in the morning.  “They call it a senior citizen coffee hour, but really anyone is welcome to come and meet new people,” Wart exclaimed.

When sitting in on the conversation, there are many stories; from jam making to hiking the Appalachian Trail at the age of seventy.

To become more involved in the Rindge community, Recreational Coffee Talk is the place to start.  Stop by Wellington Recreation Building in Wellington Park Wednesday mornings at 9:00 am.

The Class of 2011 will be putting on an Egg Hunt for the children of the Rindge community on March 28, 2010.

The Student Government Association (SGA) passed the budget for the Egg Hunt on Wednesday, March 3.  Sophomore Experience Director Chris Johnson hoped it would pass.  “This is a good spring event to bring together the community of Franklin Pierce and Rindge.”

The budget for the Egg Hunt was doubled during the SGA meeting.  “Originally we asked for three hundred dollars, and [SGA] gave us six hundred.  SGA gave us an incredibly generous increase to the Raven Egg Hunt Budget,” Johnson said.

Plastic Eggs. Photo Courtesy: Flickr

The same junior class, Community Assistants and Experience Directors who hosted the Trick O’ Treating event in the fall will be putting on the Egg Hunt.  “The Egg Hunt has no religious affiliations whatsoever, myself and the junior class thought this would be a fun thing for the children to do on campus,” Johnson said.

Caitlin Smith, 2011 Class President, was approached by Johnson for help with the Egg Hunt.  “[The Egg Hunt] is a chance for the surrounding community members to see Franklin Pierce and its students in a positive light as we give back to the community.”

Corey Lawson, another Experience Director, is also involved with putting on the Egg Hunt. “We are thinking about having the kids search for the plastic eggs in Marcucella and have the eggs numbered.  Once the kids fill up an egg carton, they can bring the eggs over and get either candy, children books, or different prizes associated with that number”.

Children from toddlers to twelve year-olds will be able to come and search for eggs.  Lawson is thinking about splitting the children into age groups, from toddler to five years old together, six through eight in another group, and ages nine and up in another.  “That way we don’t have a twelve year old pushing a toddler out of the way!” Lawson said.

Volunteers are also welcome to come and join.  “We would be more than happy to have volunteers come and help out with the children,” Johnson said.

Chelsie Kohut, a junior, thought the Egg Hunt was a good idea for the children to come and do.  “I would help out with the Egg Hunt. I think it is something new and different for the students to give to the Rindge community.”

For more information or to get involved with the Raven Egg Hunt, contact Chris Johnson or Corey Lawson.