The idea of doing laundry in Edgewood is dreadful for those students who live there.

In my personal opinion I believe that Edgewood has the worst laundry set up on this entire campus. The building only has three washers and three dryers total that serve for both Edgewood and Monadnock.

“I always have to wait to do it late at night cause I either have classes during the day or the washer and dryers are always being used,” said Edgewood resident Melanie Ortez.

(photo: Google)

Not to mention the lack of washers and dryers for the two buildings, but there is always one of each broken. Every week it changes which washing machine is going to stop at 10 minutes left leaving your clothes sitting in a pool of sudsy water. I think we have all come to the realization that the middle dryer doesn’t spin when you turn it on.

“There are not enough washer and dryers between the two buildings,” said fellow Edgewood resident Brittanie Reine.

Taking notice of the hall, I always see people going down with their laundry in hopes that there will be an opening for them. However, they quickly come back upstairs with a full basket of dirty clothes complaining there are no openings. You often see people sitting down there waiting for the time to tick down on the open washing machines and dryers so they can beat everyone else from getting them.

On top of the complaints about how there are not enough machines, people often complain about how people move the clothes from the machines and put them on the table or floor so they can use it. I often go down to the laundry room and people are taking clothes out and sneakily looking around to see who’s coming down the stairs to make sure it’s not their clothes they are taking out.

There is very limited solutions to the problem. The laundry room is extremely tiny and you can tell that they used the space as much as possible by putting just those six machines in. In order for a change to occur, the most reasonable solution would be expanding the size of the laundry room.

Today, U.S. wind power capacity represents more than 20 percent of the world’s installed wind power, and generates more energy than nuclear and coal combined.

There is high demand for other sources of energy due to lack of oil, and harnessing energy from wind is becoming more popular. In this area, it feels like Chicago because of all the constant wind. It would make sense for a wind farm to be built near campus.

In fact, New Hampshire’s first commercial wind farm was built in 2009 in Lempster, north of Keene. Currently, RMT Inc. runs the state’s largest wind farm in Coos County, a 99-megawatt project that has the capacity to power about 25,000 homes each year.

(Photo: Google)

Recently, Spiralairfoil, a company based in Hillsborough, NH, came to campus to demonstrate one of its six working wind turbines.

Dan Parker, founder of Spiralairfoil, says he has created these turbines “to give something back to the world.”

Parker invented a wind turbine design that resembles an oversized drill bit, which he says could revolutionize the wind energy market because the turbine can deliver three to five times more power than a three-blade windmill and can begin harvesting at much lower speeds.

Parker designed his turbine five years ago, and only began showing his work this year. “Wind is a no brainer,” Parker said.

“Although we have a low budget, we continue to grow,” Parker said. Each new turbine is an improvement from the previous. Parker says the company breaks one down and builds another back up.

The blades on Parker’s wind turbine are helical blades, which are quieter and turn on lower wind speeds.

Greater use of the nation’s abundant wind resources for electric power generation will help stabilize energy costs, and improve our environment, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. In New Hampshire alone, wind resources could provide 60 percent of the state’s current electricity needs.

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.

(photo: Google Images)

by Billy Holland
edited Rich Raymond

All over campus Franklin Pierce students are burning up in their dorm rooms, not from the increase in the temperature outside, but because of the heaters.

“I’m roasting like a piece of toast in A tower,” said junior Vinny Papageorgiou.  “I try to cool off by opening the windows because the heat is so strong, then it gets too cold. It’s a problem because it is just impossible to get comfortable no matter what the weather is outside and it’s so hard to sleep.”

Unlike the freshman and sophomore dorms, the upperclassmen housing of Mountainview, Northwoods, and Lakeview apartments all have thermostats in the rooms which are supposed to control the temperature of the room.

Junior resident of Lakeview Marc Santos said, “I feel like the thermostats they put in our apartments are a tease. We have a thermostat that we can’t change and we’re always way too hot, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Monadnock and Edgewood are all heated in a zone, which means there is a single sensor for the whole zone, usually in a Community Assistant’s room. Each zone is set at 68 degrees, but everyone who has lived in the freshman dorms knows how difficult it is to get the room to a comfortable temperature.

Doug Lear, the Director of Facilities, said, ‘The problem with the heating in the freshman dorms and the other dorms that are in heated zones is that if the person who has the sensor in the room has the window open it could signal that sensor to call for more hot water and produce more heat for that whole zone, even though other rooms may already be warm.”

Freshman Pat Giohuly said, “It’s scary going into the last few weeks of school because to this point the heat has been blasting in our rooms all year no matter what the temperature is outside, so when it finally warms up to what it should be at this time of year it’s going to be scorching in our rooms.”

According to Lear, the heating system has a set point, a certain temperature at which the heating system is supposed to shut down.

“Once the temperature hits 55 degrees outside it should tell the system to shut down. There will obviously be some residual hot water left over for a little while, but it should eventually shut off,” Lear said.

This seems strange because it has already reached over 55 degrees this year and the heat has never stopped in A tower.

Granite junior resident Mike Pelletier said, “I don’t know how the heating systems work, all I know is it is hot in the rooms in Granite all the time and when its hotter outside its hotter in the rooms.”

Lear said, “We have to keep the heat at a consistent 68 degrees and the heating problems people are facing aren’t because of that, they are having the problems because either there is something wrong with the thermostat or the thermostat is sensing the room needs more heat because of an open window.  We cannot reduce the temperature because if one pipe freezes and bursts it could cause significant damage in residence halls and it is just not worth the risk.”

Since reducing the consistent temperature on campus is out of the question because of the risks it poses, students must take it upon themselves to figure out the reason why their particular room is so hot.

If students in Lakeview or the towers are having these problems they can contact their Experience Directors or they could contact maintenance to have their thermostat and valve on the radiator checked and fixed.

Students who live in the dorms that are heated in zones can contact their CA or Experience Director and discuss the issue with them.

(Photo: Google Images)

It was a warm and tropical night inside the Bubble during last Friday’s Hawaiian themed Up All Night, but the ice outside was dangerous.

The first of the weekend’s three storms had covered the entire campus with snow and ice once again, making the journey to and from the Bubble a difficult and dangerous one.

Most students here are familiar with New England’s famous winters, so it’s safe to say that we all knew what we were getting into when we chose FPU as our college. As someone who hates winter, my choice to go to from Massachusetts to New Hampshire may seem surprising, and at times it is surprising to me as well. However, what bothers me the most about winter at FPU is trying to get to class when the walkways are covered in ice. The only thing worse than an icy walkway is an icy walkway on a hill, as anyone walking to Petrocelli Hall will agree.

So far, four people have reported injuries this year after slipping on an icy path, with many more falling and walking away bruised. Since there are many dangerous ice patches lasting weeks after a major storm, and ranging from large piles to tough-to-spot black ice, students and faculty/staff alike often wonder if there is more that can be done to increase safety.

Doug Lear, Director of Maintenance, says that this has been a very difficult year, and the recent string of snow and freezing rain storms has been tough to keep up with. Also, this is the time of year when temperatures are above freezing and snow melts during the day, only to re-freeze during the cold nights. To deal with this, maintenance crews walk around the campus early every morning to find areas that are particularly hazardous.

“It’s a crazy period,” said Lear, “It’s very difficult to keep all areas safe.”

Lear also noted that, in an effort to keep the paths clear, a second machine designed specifically to clear and treat paths for ice and snow has been purchased, allowing maintenance to clear the paths faster after a large storm. Lear also encourages community members to call maintenance at 4120 if there is an area that is particularly icy.

Bill Sweet, Interim Director of Campus Safety, believes that the best way to stay safe is to be careful and take it slow when walking or driving across campus.

“Every person has a responsibility to use caution during storms.” said Sweet.

Campus Safety also has access to salt, and can be called when Maintenance is not available to put salt on icy stairs, or tell a student where to find salt.

I certainly understand that it is a difficult job to keep paths clear this time of year, especially considering the amount of storms we have had, and keeping the roads and parking lots clear is another issue all together ( Lear also complimented students and staff for cooperating with maintenance during parking lot snow removals this year). Still, when I see obvious areas that do not appear to have been touched on the parking lots or paths (the area behind the Fitzwater Center being one such place) I can’t help but wonder what else, if anything, can be done.

In the end it will be the warmer days that will be the ultimate solution. Until then, we will all have to watch our step, while Maintenance does their best to keep the campus safe.

It’s no secret that the core curriculum is flawed. The most obvious problem is that these core classes are required, and the average student doesn’t care about the course material. There are even a couple of professors who don’t care either. These classes invoke memories of high school, in which students must memorize facts which, most of the time, never leave the classroom.

Core classes cause students a great deal of stress for a variety of reasons.  After dealing with the amount of work and scheduling conflicts,  many students don’t feel that the work they put in is worth what they get out of most of these classes.

(photo: Google)

It’s a great thing that the administration is giving the core classes a good look over, because they do have potential. However, this is something that should have been done years ago. Probably the biggest problem with the core classes is the fact that many of them fail to engage students or encourage them to think independently.

There are certainly some professors who are very good at doing this. The key to their success is relevant material. Also,  these teachers encouraged plenty of discussions and offered explanations as to why the material was important to learn.

Unfortunately, there are also professors who do the opposite. They teach the classes according to the curriculum, with “this is what you’re supposed to know” being the only explanation of why the course material is important. I even had one professor who was so relaxed about the class that he gave his students permission to sleep when he played a movie. Even though many students were happy about this, there was a catch. We pay for these classes. Therefore, we should get the most out of them.

Most of the core classes I took followed the same pattern. Read these books, be ready to discuss them in class, take a quiz on them and write an essay or two on them. Then, after the class is over, we sell our books, throw away our notes and forget what we spent all of that time learning. What these classes need to do is focus on developing skills that will prepare students for their careers, as well as other aspects of life after college. Fortunately, this is one aspect that is currently being focused on. Hopefully, when the core classes are revamped, classes will be more geared to developing important skills and less focused on memorization of unimportant facts.

There is plenty of potential for core classes to engage students and prepare them for life after college, but as they stand now, most core classes waste students’ time and money. They also add to stress levels and an overall workload, when what most students really want to focus on is their major. However, students need to realize that they can do something about it besides complain. They can provide feedback to the university and tell those in charge of the curriculum what works and what doesn’t.

It is important to remember that we are the customers. Our say matters.

As journalists, part of our job is to get information out as quickly as possible, however the quick release of information can sometimes hurt people more than help. Therefore I ask, “Do you think it’s good to put the the names of rapists in the papers before they are convicted of the crime, or should we wait until the courts decide the verdict?” In my opinion, the answer is no. It is not okay to put a person’s name in the paper before they are convicted. This applies just for rape, but for any crime.

The reason I ask this question is because there have been many cases where a woman has claimed that she was raped by a man and then turned around and said that it wasn’t true.  The Kobe Bryant case in the summer of 2003 is a good example. The problem is that in many of these cases, the name of the men were already reported in the papers before the women turned around and said that their rape claims were not valid. The problem is that the lives of the accused drastically changed from that point on. The men are now seen as rapists even though it’s not necessarily the truth.

I’m a big believer in human rights. I believe that a person’s identity should not be falsified under any circumstances. Could you imagine being a man accused of a rape that didn’t happen? How would you feel if all the people in your neighborhood were scared of you, wondering who your next victim will be even though you’re innocent? It’s just not fair to be judged based on someone’s lies.

As a college student, I would like to draw attention to the incident of the three Duke University Lacrosse players whose athletic careers were crushed by false allegations from an exotic dancer. The three students’ rooms were searched and all of them were suspended from school and kicked off the lacrosse team. Their pictures were put on fliers that were posted all over the Duke University campus making false statements about what kind of people they were. The comments on the posters stated that the players, along with the rest of the lacrosse team, were everything from rapists to racists because the stripper was African-American.  Not only were the boys’ names being tarnished on the Duke campus, but the story made national news and their names were known throughout the nation as the Duke Rapists. These guys went through hell, and they had to wait a long time for justice to be served.

Duke Lacrosse Player David Evans waited an agonizingly long time for his name to be cleared.

“It’s been 395 days since this nightmare began and finally, today it’s come to a closure,” Evans said. “Nothing has changed. The facts don’t change, and we have never wavered in our stories.”

“I hope these allegations don’t come to define me,” Evans said. “My family and I can sleep at night knowing we did everything we could do. I can walk with my head held high.”

It’s sad that with today’s technology, the police and the court system are so quick to accuse. It doesn’t even come down to just rape charges. There are so many stories out there of people who were sentenced to the death penalty and were later found out to be innocent after they had already been killed. All I’m saying is that, with today’s technologies, the least the newspapers can do is hold off until the flawed justice system comes to a verdict. Think about it, you were falsely accused of rape, your name was released, someone Googles your name and finds the word “RAPIST” next to it. How would you feel?



You might have heard that students are covered under their parents’ plan until the ‘mature’ age of 26 but somewhere in that fine print is a clause. Like everything that comes out of Washington D.C. the clause states that only if your health insurance company feels like covering you then they will, yes they can opt out, like mine did. Aetna never informed me that the insurance was going to run out, I had to call and ask. Though, after graduation they will give graduates 30 days, but then it’s over. Not only as graduates do we have to worry about finding a job, but now we must worry if our job will be offering us benefits as well. According to Insure.com young adults ages 19 to 29 are the fastest-growing age group in the country without health insurance. That is 13 million of the 47 million Americans that are living without health insurance

The constant yelling back and forth by both Republicans and Democrats across the floor about health care is confusing and the average college student might not realize what is at stake. It’s time to start paying attention because many of us will be affected within the counting days. In nine months you will be paying back your loans, (sorry to remind you), but statistics show two out of  every three students take out loans and graduate with an average of over $23,000 in debt. Also, more than 60% of people who file for bankruptcy do so because of medical bills, according to the American Journal of Medicine.

Once we get the diplomas we will no longer be kids, the financial burdens of our past will finally catch up to us; student loans, car payments, rent, food, and other basic necessities. But what about health care, many of us do not realize how costly health care actually is because we have been blanketed by our parents. For a senior this may not seem important right now, but you should be afraid. With the job economy the way it is, it is predicted that a job search, if really executed vigorously will take up to six to eight months, if not longer for people in what they consider ordinary jobs. This means you cannot get hurt or see a doctor within this time frame.

(Photo by Google)

It was time that the adults were called in, maybe they would be as upset about this, but their callous attitudes spoke volumes. The responses in which they wanted to remain anonymous said, “grow up” and, “it’s life” there was only one person in the room of adults who felt bad for us. Most of them had not had health care for a certain period of time in their life, they accepted it for themselves and they are accepting it for us. This might be the first time our parents want us to live dangerously, but they have become passive.

Five seniors who wished to stay anonymous had answered “I don’t know” when asked about whether they would have health care after they graduated. The consensus here is that most students have no clue whether they will or will not.

Back in March President Barack Obama had signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which has now been voted by the House of Representatives to be repealed.

Under this act children up to the age of 26 could stay under their parents’ health care, private coverage for low- and middle income households, requires employers to offer insurance for their employees, those with pre-existing conditions could not be denied health care and could not be dropped.

Also, though not part of the bill students can finally borrow money from the government which will cut out costs and more money will go to Pell Grants for students who are in need.

I am not writing this to convince you whether universal health care is good or bad, this is just to warn you. It’s important to have a back up plan, because health care is not something the average college student really sits down to figure out.

We are facing the impending ending of days, the student life apocalyptic where we will meet the ‘real world’ head on. So if you must break anything do it now,break that leg and those wisdom teeth, get them removed, because you cannot afford to do it later.

After a whirlwind 2010 season filled with frustration, media frenzies, and infidelity the world’s former number one player, Tiger Woods will begin his come back.

Last year Woods faced a tumultuous season that saw him fail to win a single event for the first time in his previously glorified career.

Tiger Woods in victory

For most golf experts this weeks Farmer’s Insurance Open marks the “real” beginning of the PGA tour season with all of the world’s top players in attendance. The event is being held at the prestigious Torrey Pines golf course in San Diego where Tiger has had plenty of success in his career. Wood’s captured his last major title here in 2008 on basically one leg, battling Rocco Mediate in one of the greatest 18-hole playoffs in the history of the sport.

Despite Wood’s previous dominance at Torrey Pines it seems as though many analysts are skeptical if fans will ever see the Tiger Woods of the yester year. One can argue that last year’s disappointment of a season could, or should be accredited to the off course drama that Woods was coping with. At first it looked like Woods was going to be able to block out the outside world on the course. It appeared he could continue to find himself at the top of leader boards when he entered his first event of the year, which also just so happened to be the seasons first major championship; The Masters, and post a top five finish.

Unfortunately, things quickly started to spiral out of control for Woods following The Masters. Every time you watched Woods address his ball and begin his back swing you thought to yourself, “well I wonder where this ones going to end up?” The problem was that Tiger began asking himself the same question as the season progressed. Week after week Woods struggled just to stay at even par. The men and women in Vegas weren’t worried about betting on whether or not Woods would win the event, they were too busy placing wagers on whether or not the guy would make the cut and advance to the weekend.

At the end of the season Tiger lost his number one ranking to Lee Westwood. Prior to the beginning of this week’s event Tiger found himself being leap-frogged again in the World Rankings as Germany’s own Martin Kaymer became golf’s new number 2.

After everything is all said and done no one will ever forget what progressed that night in 2010 outside of the Woods’ Orlando home. But, many golf fans and youngsters across the globe who grew up idolizing the man who bled red on Sundays and left nothing on the course are hoping for a resurgence. The big question surrounding the Tiger Woods 2011 season is, “Has Tiger Woods already maxed out? Have we seen the last of Tiger in his prime?” Until Woods is able to shake the monkey off his back and win an event, the harsh criticism of his game will continue. After all, he was winning Major events by ten strokes like it was nothing at one point.

As the weekend draws closer and Tiger continues to navigate his way through the course that he knows oh so well the world will be patiently waiting to see if the old trademark Tiger can bounce back and once again reign supreme atop the golf world.

by Alyssa Dandrea

Homelessness in America is something that has historically been pushed aside as our attention is continuously drawn to other areas of the globe. Influenced by media coverage on the topic, our understanding of homelessness is typically clouded by stereotypes. Sadly, what is greatly impacted is our ability to accurately identify the complex set of circumstances surrounding homelessness, and therefore our ability to have an educated conversation on the topic.

As students gathered for the Homeless Awareness Sleepout on the softball field Wednesday night, there were a number of similar questions going thorough our minds. Are we really doing this? Will we be warm enough? What if it rains? What if an animal comes over to our site?

Accustomed to the warm, comfortable living quarters we had difficulty placing ourselves in these circumstances. With yoga mats and tarps placed under our sleeping bags to keep out the moisture from the grass, we settled into the space the best we knew how. While some of us tried to do homework, most couldn’t focus on the task, and as night fell a flash light was our only way to see.

While other students on campus walked by and cracked jokes, others stared with confusion and curiosity well into the morning hours. But if they were staring at us, how do homeless people feel on a daily basis? Do we look at those who are homeless with that same judgmental eye?

According to www.census.gov, 39.8 million people were in poverty in 2008, an increase over two million from 2007. Furthermore, the poverty rate was the highest since 1997 at 13.2 percent. While the National Coalition for the Homelessness cites a number of factors that can lead to such circumstances no one case is alike. Low-wage jobs or no work opportunities, domestic violence, lack of affordable health care or housing, and mental illness are major contributors, and it is in these circumstances that women and children are the most common victims.

While students at the Sleepout were able to go grab food at the Raven’s Nest or use the bathrooms in nearby academic buildings, those who are homeless don’t have that option. In part we remained connected to our world through phone calls, text messages and Facebook, but what about those who can’t afford the technology? What about those Americans who go day by day struggling to pay for food?

In America we cling onto this belief that everyone can somehow lift themselves out of bad circumstances and achieve success. But contrary to some perceptions, people aren’t necessarily homeless by personal fault and rising out of such conditions isn’t always possible.

As it started to rain at 4:30 a.m. we picked up our camp site and quickly sought shelter. On that same night, what did those who are homeless do? Where did they seek protection from the cold and rain, and was there anyone there to help them?