(photo: Google Images)

by Zoe Alcantara
edited by Alyssa Dandrea

It is convenient to have an on campus gym for students to use at basically all hours of the day. Unfortunately, some people on campus, particularly women, feel uncomfortable using the facilities because of a gender imbalance.

I’ve never really been the gym type, but when I did visit the Bubble, I always noticed the gender division.  The side with the elliptical, treadmills, and mats is most commonly used by women.  The other side, which includes weights, leg, arm, and abdominal machines, is used heavily by men.  In the weight room, I would always see men pumping iron, and on occasion a couple of girls would be in there.

On Tuesday, I interviewed seven women that go to the Bubble quite frequently. Freshmen Michelle Spinney goes every day and uses the treadmill and elliptical, but never the weight room. “If there are a lot of boys, I won’t go,” Spinney said. “Boys think we can’t do it like they can. It’s intimidating.”

Spinney goes with her three friends, Kim Webb, Rachael Lynch, and Erin Whitney.  Lynch said that she strongly agrees with Spinney on the situation. “I feel like all the boys know what they’re doing,” Lynch said. Depending on how many men are in the weight room, Lynch may not go over.

However, the other two girls said that they are not as uncomfortable as Spinney and Lynch. “I don’t really care what people think,” said Whitney as she came back from the weight room. Webb agreed and said, “It’s not as intimidating as it used to be.”

When I walked into the male-dominated part of the Bubble to interview the group of girls, I was intimidated and I wasn’t even thinking about working out.  While I was only there for a half hour, I counted 12 men in the weight room, 22 playing basketball, and two who were playing tennis, on the field, and using the elliptical or tread mill. On the other hand, there were only seven women at the Bubble with six on the cardio side.

Senior Mary Holland, who works at the Bubble 6-12 hours per week, said that it is definitely dominated by males. According to Holland, the time of day determines how many men and/or women there are working out.

Holland works out about five times a week, and said that when she was younger it was much more intimidating than it is now. “I know these guys. I’m comfortable with doing what I want now.” But as a freshman, she was self conscious about going into the weight room, and felt like she was being judged.

Even some students who do not go the Bubble daily are not enthusiastic about the atmosphere. Freshman Colby Houdlette said, “It isn’t a comfortable environment for me. The machines are always being used and I hate the lighting.”

For most girls I interviewed, they felt more comfortable going over to the weight room with a friend or two.  Different times of day can also make a difference. According to Holland, there are many less people working out in the morning than in the evening. As a result, some women may feel more comfortable going earlier in the day with less people to intimidate them.

If you thought it was possible to adapt to six, five, or even four hours of sleep and still do well on a test the next day, you’re wrong.

A new study conducted by David Dinges, head of the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory and Hospital at University of Pennsylvania, indicates that not only is this false, but that over time, the ability to think clearly and concentrate decrease.

Ellen Ostreicher, APRN at Health Services, has seen many students who have trouble sleeping, or who have other health problems because of lack of sleep. She said that college students should actually get between eight and ten hours of sleep.

“You do require more sleep because the body is still changing and developing,” Ostreicher said. “It’s great to get it, but most people don’t.

Freshman Keegan Scriber said that she usually is able to get around eight hours of sleep each night by planning ahead.

“I find it easy, as long as you balance your day out well,” Scriber said.

(Photo: Google)

Dinges’s study showed that over time, people with six and four hours of sleep didn’t adapt, but instead gradually decreased in their ability to think clearly and pay attention. The study tested how attentive people with eight, six, and four hours of sleep are using a test called a psychomotor vigilance task, or P.V.T.. This tests memory, speed, and accuracy, and notes how often and how long subjects have a lapse in attention and space out. The sustained attention that the P.V.T. looks for is needed in everything from reading and comprehending material, to paying attention in classes and driving.

Many students find it hard to make time for sleep. Senior Michael Hayden said he tries to get between six and eight hours each night, but admits that it isn’t always easy to do.

“Sometimes, I have a lot of stress from work, or too much work,” Hayden said.

Ostreicher said that losing focus isn’t the only problem caused by sleep deprivation. “The body is weakened, and it becomes more prone to illnesses.” Ostreicher had several tips for developing better sleeping habits, including keeping a consistent bedtime and wake up time, even on weekends, when most students are tempted to stay up late and sleep in.

Ostreicher also said that a common reason college students have trouble sleeping is due to the change in environment they experience in the beginning of each year. Scriber said that this was an obstacle for her at first. “I found the first week really hard to get comfortable in a new bed, it kept me up a lot.”

A study similar to Dinges’s, which tested the abilities of people with nine, seven, five, and three hours of sleep, and was conducted by Gregory Belenky, director of the division of neuroscience at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md, had findings that reflected Dinges’s. Those with nine hours of sleep performed about as well as those with eight hours, but those who slept for seven hours had a slower reaction time that decreased over the course of the study.

Another finding in the sleep studies was that the sleep deprived test subjects did not believe they were overly tired or that they were affected by the lack of sleep, even while the test results showed otherwise. This shows that people do not recognize when they are actually tired.

For more information on how to maintain a better sleep schedule, visit Health Services, located in the basement of Granite Hall.

As the Spring semester comes to a close students become more and more concerned with the high prices at The Raven’s Nest, a.k.a The Pub.

“The prices are a little steep, especially when you’re out of pub points,” said sophomore Sam Kelley.  “I don’t think they’re outrageous, but some of the food seems a little overpriced.”

There is no question that a foot long sub at The Pub will run you more than the five dollar foot long at Subway, or anything off of the dollar menu at McDonald’s.  However, can we ever expect the Raven’s Nest to be able to compete with prices like those? Absolutely not.

“We set our prices in comparison to our local competitors like Pizza Haven, Pizza Pie, Crossroads, North of the Boarder, Subway, McDonald’s, Mr. Mikes, and Dunkin’ Donuts,” said Pub manager Nancy McMillan.  “The chains like Subway are a different animal, but we still do our best to make things fairly priced so that we can compete.”

At the beginning of every semester McMillan visits the local competitors and checks out their menu to plan the prices at the pub.

“Some of our prices are higher than others are and obviously some are lower, but I believe we have a good balance between the two so that business does well and we also meet the student’s needs,” said McMillan.

Sophomore Amo Houghton said, “I think they should be open later, like until 1 or 2 a.m., and they should have breakfast food available at all times of the day.”

The issue of the pub’s hours has been discussed a lot throughout the semester. If the pub was open until one or two in the morning on weekends people wouldn’t have to find designated drivers to Mr. Mikes.

“The problem with opening up the pub until one or two in the morning on weekends is that the pub’s workers are mostly made up of students and, let’s be honest, there isn’t a huge line of students signing up to work from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. Thursday through Sunday,” said McMillan.

“Another problem with having the pub open more hours is that it would probably take hiring someone from the outside to come in and work, which would take away from the student’s opportunity to have an on campus job,” McMillan said.  “If we hire someone from the outside to work for 40 hours a week that one person would take up about three or four student’s jobs and that is clearly not in the best interest of the students who are searching for employment on campus.”

The most reasonable solution for the students with issues with the pub’s hours and prices is simple.

Stick to the pre-made food section of the pub, which consists of sandwiches, salads, fruit cups, yogurt, and vegetables.  McMillan’s research has showed that the pre-made food at the pub is “significantly cheaper than our competitors.”

And for the students who want the pub to be open later and or students looking for employment, contact Nancy McMillan at McMillann@franklinpierce.edu.

Melissa Koszer:

Twitter: koszerm
Portfolio: koszerm.blogspot.com
Collaborative Blog: extraordinarystories.weebly.com
Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/melissakoszer

Nick Marro:

Twitter: nick_marro
Portfolio: nickjmarro.weebly.com
Collaborative blog: fpintramural.blogspot.com
Bleacher Report profile: http://bleacherreport.com/users/446123-nick-marro

Tom Jurkowski:

Twitter: tommyJurk_1288
Portfolio: trjportfolio.blogspot.com

Meghan Graf:

(Photo: Meghan Graf)

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/meghgraf
Portfolio: http://meghangraf.weebly.com/
Blog: http://graduatingseniorstips.blogspot.com/p/about-us.html

Amanda Panaro:

(Photo: Amanda Panaro)

Twitter: amandapanaro
Portfolio: http://amandapanaro.blogspot.com/
Blog: http://graduatingseniorstips.blogspot.com/p/about-us.html

(Photo: Google)

by Matt Jones
edited by Melissa Koszer

Everyone needs their own space, but for most college students, that is a luxury not easily obtained. Getting used to sharing a room with someone else is one of the biggest adjustments college students have to make.

I found it challenging to live with someone else from the beginning, especially since the freshman dorms are so small, meaning my roommate and I were together constantly. Also, when there was a conflict, there wasn’t anywhere else to go to cool off, particularly at night when the Pub and library were closed, so we were stuck together. Over time, tensions increased until eventually, he found another room and moved out. In fact, there were three roommates I’ve had serious conflicts with, and the only final solution was for one of us to relocate.

Initially, this makes me think that there needs to be more singles available to students, since some people need their own space more than others. It also makes me think that having students live together at all is a bad idea. The reason why colleges have students share rooms is obvious; it’s more cost efficient. If everyone had their own room, there would need to be twice as many dorms to build, maintain, heat, and provide electricity and water for.

However, Ken Ervin, Director of Residential Life, said that another reason students are placed together is to ensure that they are socializing. “We want to make sure students are interacting with each other and not sitting alone in their rooms all day,” said Ervin.

This is a good idea, especially for freshmen, who I feel are more likely to be shy, but there is also a social drawback. If a conflict gets bad enough, friends may take sides. This is something else I’ve witnessed, and it only makes a bad situation worse.

Still, it’s safe to say that this will never be a campus made of singles, so how should disputes be handled? This is an area I feel Res Life should try to be more involved in. Roommate disputes are common enough that there should be a set way of working with students to try to resolve any issues.

There have been times when I have felt alone during a particularly intense conflict, and I feel that part of living on a college campus is not having to be alone, and having resources like Res Life to give help when it’s needed. These problems shouldn’t be allowed to escalate to the point where students feel the need to relocate. Experience Directors and Community Assistants are available to mediate discussions, but this isn’t always enough.

Also, as a freshman, it never occurred to me that I could go to my C.A. or E.D. for help. They may have said this in the beginning of the year, but after that, I hardly ever saw my E.D., and when I saw my C.A., it was usually for a hall meeting, and I never really got to know her very well. It’s possible that C.A.s need to try harder to get on a more personal level with their residents, and make sure students are aware that they are there to help, so students can feel more comfortable when a conflict arises.

Make no mistake, Res Life already does a lot, and there have also been cases when my E.D. has been able to help, but I feel that there is more that can be done. Although Ken Ervin does recommend that students go to their C.A.s if there is a problem, he also feels they need to be responsible for finding a solution. “Students should take an active role in resolving issues without further conflict or defensiveness,” he said.

I agree with this statement, but I also know that working together to solve problems is much easier said than done. For instance, I had one roommate who was unwilling to compromise, listen to my side of an argument, or admit when he was wrong. Instead he placed the blame on me. After a while, he refused to speak to me altogether, only communicating with hand signals and the occasional text.

However, I did the last thing anyone should do in a situation like this. I lost my temper. Obviously, yelling only makes things worse, and even when frustrated, it is important to remember that it is never the way to resolve a conflict.

I am sharing my experiences not to put blame on anyone, but in the hopes that others can learn from them. Hopefully both students and Res Life can work together in the future to make on campus living that much easier.

Shwayze (photo:Google)

by Billy Holland
edited by Casey Williams

It is no surprise that the talk around campus lately has been about this year’s Spring Concert because, hey, this year we actually get to have one.

I don’t mean to be sarcastic, but let’s be honest, the America’s Got Talent or whatever it was we had last year that was attempted to be passed off as our Spring Concert just didn’t cut it.

To be quite honest, when I heard that there was actually going to be a concert this year I kind of hoped the main act would be Seamus Pender playing his long list of Irish Folk songs that many Franklin Pierce students have been entertained with in his classes or the times he has played for us in Pierce Hall.

I hoped this because, first off, I have seen Seamus play plenty of times and he is very good at what he does and puts on a great show.  And secondly, because I was fearful of what other act we may get with the tight budget we have.

For anyone who still hasn’t heard, the Pierce Activities Council has announced the musical act at this year’s Spring Concert is Shwayze, a Malibu-based musician who came out with hits like “Buzzin’” and “Corona and Lime.”

I’m not going to lie, when I first heard Shwayze was coming I was pretty excited. I’ve heard they put on a good show, but I began to question why people seemed so over-the-top excited about this concert.

I walked by kids talking to each other about it recently saying stuff like, “Dude this is so awesome they’re coming, they’re so great,” just things like that, and it really got me thinking: Is the Shwayze buzz around Franklin Pierce warranted?

The more I thought about it I wanted to criticize it because I don’t think it’s anything compared to J. Cole playing at Keene last October or Snoop Dogg or Wiz Khalifa playing in Lowell, I didn’t because whether or not I am a huge fan of Shwayze, the bottom line is this is a big deal for Franklin Pierce.

Let’s go back to the Spring of 2009, the concert was Eve 6 who haven’t put out a hit since, I don’t know, maybe 1999, but I went anyway and they really did put on a good enough show that I was satisfied.

But as I compare this Shwayze concert to the Eve 6 concert or the talent show of last year it seems to me that Shwayze is getting the proper amount of buzz because it is pretty astonishing to me, as I’m sure it is to others as well, that we are able to get a relevant music act to come play to a couple thousand students at best.

Nevertheless the Pierce Activities council delivered a musical act that by the sound of things has pleased the majority of the Franklin Pierce population and is a huge step up from the concerts we have had at least in the past two years.

Although no information on this concert has been posted anywhere online and I have yet to see anything about it around campus, it has been posted on Shwayze’s website and the date for the concert is Saturday, April 2^nd.

Foggs Mini Mart, (photo: google)

As gas prices continue to rise nationwide, in Rindge they seem to be skyrocketing, leaving Franklin Pierce students questioning who to blame.

The current average cost per gallon of gas in the United States is $3.13. The Citgo at the corner of US-202 and NH-119 in Rindge charges $3.21 a gallon, the fifth highest in New Hampshire.(http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/02/gasoline-hits-313-a-gallon-average-in-latest-us-survey/1)

The price of gas at the Citgo can also be compared to New Hampshire’s average cost of gas per gallon, which is $3.099, but store owner Evelyn Fogg is not able to let her business run by averages. (http://www.newhampshiregasprices.com/USA_Tax_Map.aspx)

“I have to use blinders when it comes to competition,” said Evelyn Fogg. “If the price of wholesale goes up at the time I need to fill my tanks, I have to raise the price of gas. The cost can fluctuate 10 to 12 cents overnight with no warning, [and] if I need to fill up after a night like that, I have to raise the price because either way the bill is due in ten days,” Fogg said.“The wholesale for gas this day last year was 56 cents less than it is today, and this isn’t close to the highest price the wholesale has been at.”

She described the business as “a game” because prices are so unpredictable and the cost rises and falls on almost a daily basis.

“It isn’t how it used to be,” Fogg said. “In 1961 a salesman would call me and tell me the price would go up a quarter cent at the end of the month. I had weeks to know about a miniscule increase; today I have no notice for the largest of increases.”

Another difference in the business today for Fogg is the fact that many gas station owners own multiple stores.

“There are people who own multiple gas stations so they can get away with charging less in areas because they will make it up in others. I just own this store, I don’t have that luxury.”

There are gas stations in New Hampshire that are somehow able to sell gas at retail cheaper than Fogg pays in wholesale, which to her, seems wrong.

“It isn’t criminal due to free trade,” Fogg said. “But it certainly makes things difficult.”

Although nearly everything about the gas business seems uncertain, one thing that is for sure is, Evelyn Fogg is not the one to blame for the high gas prices. She faces the same problems a lot of “mom and pop” stores across the country are facing due to the recession, but Fogg remains optimistic about the business.

“We have been in business since 1954. A lot of stores have come and gone since then but we have been here. Now that’s saying something,” she said.

Google images

by Mariah Wattendorf
edited by Rich Raymond

Ceramic art work by Franklin Pierce students will be on sale during Family Day this Saturday, October 2nd.

Tables will be set up in the Pierce Hall Foyer from 10am – 3pm. Proceeds from the sale will go to the ceramics fund that allows a group of students to attend NCECA, The National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts. The collection of artwork on sale Saturday are donated pieces from students and several faculty members, as well as unclaimed student work.

On Saturday’s Family Day, students and their families are encouraged to stop by the studios for a Franklin Pierce Fine Arts experience. Demonstrations will be done by students to show others and their families what is made in each studio. To show how the pieces from the sale are made, students and family members can watch how pottery is thrown.

For the past three years, Susan Silverman, a professor for the fine arts department, has taken small groups of ceramic students to NCECA. The conferences are held all over the country. The first year students traveled to Pittsburgh, the second year it was Phoenix, and the third year they went to Philadelphia. This year the conference will take place in Tampa, Florida. More than half the attendees from the conference are students.

The conference gives the students an opportunity to do some networking. They get to interact with other students, educators, artists, gallery owners and their patrons, along with the people who deal with buying and selling the materials and tools.

The trip can be rather expensive. By selling the art, it reduces the amount of money students pay out of their own pocket to help finance the trip. The budget for the first trip to Pittsburgh with 5 students was estimated at $3,850.00. Silverman said, “The students are great on the trip, one year, they got around to more exhibitions than I did.” She stated the event gets her students motivated and even more interested in the subject. They get to meet and greet with over 5,000 other people who were all involved in ceramics on some level.

“We’re going to try and sell as much can and as often as possible for those who are interested in purchasing items,” said Silverman.

Examples of student and faculty work:

Marathon Runners

On Sunday, November 7^th, runners, joggers and walkers will be gathering in Southern New Hampshire to take part in the Manchester Marathon.

Over the past 3 years, the Sport and Recreation club here at Franklin Pierce has taken part in planning this event. The participants have the option of running 26 miles. Anyone who completes the entire race qualifies for the Boston Marathon which will take place April 18, 2011.

The sports and recreation club help out in a number of ways for this race. Members of the club help in directing traffic, directing the runners, stand by the street and handout waters to the runners as they pass and support the runners as much as they can. When the event is over, they help break down the barriers and clean up. In preparation now for the race, the sports and recreation club are working on having people sign up to volunteer for the event and get shirts orders and transportation to the marathon itself.

When asked what it is like to volunteer for the event, senior Samantha Cooper said, “Although it’s very repetitive an slow, it still gives experience for the club.” She goes on to say that it’s good for future jobs and it helps sport and recreation majors with networking.