Twin sisters with a tough decision to make
by Heather Riley
edited by Richard Raymond
The white envelope lay on Rachel’s messy desk atop a few school books and writing utensils. She stared blankly at it before picking it up. Her mom had put her mail on her desk for her earlier that morning. The return address read Northeastern University. It had to be her acceptance letter. Gliding the sharp scissors across the seam of the envelope, Rachel hastily opened the letter. The letter began “We are pleased to inform you…”
Rachel let out a sigh of relief and placed it down next a similar one from Westfield State. Northeastern was the school she had dreamed of going to; it was in the heart of Boston and had a good criminal justice program. Rachel could see herself liking the big city. Westfield State was closer to home and a lot less expensive. Aside from these pros and cons the biggest deciding factor for Rachel was whether or not she would be able to stray from her other half. Rachel’s twin sister, Shannon, had would be attending Westfield in the fall. For Shannon, Westfield was the better choice since she wanted to go for Psychology. Shannon was quiet but a good listener, which made her a perfect candidate as a future therapist. She always knew the right things to say.
Rachel and Shannon have always done everything together and shared everything from clothes and friends to secrets and bunk beds. They were inseparable. Although born fraternal the two dressed and acted alike their entire life. Rachel stood at five foot four with long brown hair that engulfed her shoulders while Shannon was only five foot two with short darker hair. As with the rest of their siblings, they both shared the same stand out blue eyes.
The two were being forced to decide whether or not to stay together. “It’s going to be weird not being around her all the time if I do choose Northeastern,” she said. Rachel had talked it over with Shannon a time or two and she always told her as much as she wanted to attend the same school they have to go where their field of interest was best. Rachel contemplated the decision for a while, maybe it was time for them to go their separate ways and become more independent. Shannon was doing what was best for her so maybe that was what she needed to do too.
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Consumers spend too much on Valentine’s Day
by Heather Riley
edited by Sean Carroll and Whitney Pettibone
(photo: Google)
Americans will spend an estimated $15.7 billion on chocolates, cards, bouquets of flowers and other gifts for their loved ones this February 14.
While the holiday dates back to the days of the Roman Empire, the traditions still live on. According to an annual survey by the U.S. National Retail Federation, the average U.S. consumer spent around $102 on Valentine’s Day gifts, meals and entertainment in 2009. Among these holiday gifts are heart-shaped boxes of chocolates which were first introduced in 1868 by Richard Cadbury.
The Valentine’s Day holiday could not be complete without a bouquet of flowers for loved ones. The most popular flowers purchased by consumers are red roses. Although women do account for a small percentage of the flower purchasing made for Valentine’s Day, men account for 73 percent of Valentine’s Day flower sales. Overall, about one-third of Americans express their love for one another by buying flowers.
One of the biggest sellers for Valentine’s Day is the exchanging of greeting cards. According to the Greeting Card Association, 190 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually. This puts Valentine’s Day as the second most popular holiday to exchange greeting cards right behind Christmas. Fifty-five percent of Americans will send at least one card. This long lived tradition dates all the way back to 1415, but did not become popular until the early 1900s when mass production began.
Hallmark quickly jumped on the wagon in 1913 and began creating Valentine’s Day cards for not only spouses but also children, parents, siblings and friends. It became almost necessary for consumers to send greeting cards to everyone they cared about. No matter what gifts were being purchased, it always came with a card. That is why many refer to Valentine’s Day as the ‘Hallmark Holiday’.
Men also find themselves purchasing jewelry for their significant others. Over recent years, jewelry sales have increased and are expected to continue. The National Retail Federation expects to see the percentage of consumers that will buy jewelry jump to about 17.3 percent. It also states that the total consumer spending on jewelry will reach about $3.5 billion. It is safe to say, diamonds really are a woman’s best friend.
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Underage Drinking: A Constant issue
by Heather Riley
edited by Erica Jordan
This past weekend kept campus safety busy after being called to deal with 8 separate incidents that were filed all of which were alcohol-related.
Alcohol consumption on campus is a bigger issue with students that are under the legal drinking age than it is with students that are over twenty-one. “Quite a number of students do it, it’s the drug of choice,” said Stuart Mitchell, Director of Campus Safety. The weekends seem to be when most of the trouble takes places. “I feel that underage drinking is not just a problem here at Franklin Pierce, it happens everywhere and if campus safety really wanted to crack down on catching students drinking they could,” said sophomore Christa Naso.
When asked about the policies and procedures behind alcohol-related incidents, Mitchell said that a report is always filed and depending on the seriousness of the circumstance, the Rindge Police Department may also have to intervene. The reports from there are then looked over by student affairs or residential life to determine proper action. Students can face consequences anywhere from “letters of apology to attending alcohol abuse meetings and even probation or suspensions,” said Mitchell.
Campus safety officers reserve the right to question students whom they believe to be carrying alcohol in their possession. They can also check bags and backpacks if they feel necessary. Students who choose not to comply with the officers or the policies of the University are then further questioned. Officers may then exercise their right to keep students from entering any dry buildings on campus. Students sometimes feel as though campus safety is too harsh with their punishments. Sophomore Diego Tabares said, “It’s times when students aren’t doing anything wrong that they are harassed by campus security.”
Alcohol consumption is not only an issue here at Franklin Pierce but across the nation. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, “28% of youth’s age 12 to 20 years drank alcohol and about 1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries. The reports also show that alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States, more than tobacco and illicit drugs. In efforts to enforce the drinking policies on their college campus, the Center for Substance Abuse Program (CSAP) at Towson University of Maryland “has implemented a multi-level, alcohol awareness, education, and prevention approach that is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all students.”
Campus safety is doing their best to try and cut down on as much underage drinking as possible here at Franklin Pierce as well. One of the ways in which they exercise this is by stamping students who are under 21 when attending registered ‘social gatherings’ at Lakeview, Northwood or the Mt.View apartments. “Registered parties this year have been very well received,” said Mitchell. According to the mission statement for campus safety, it is their objective to ‘providing an environment conducive to living, learning and working.’ The safety of students comes first and by cracking down on alcohol consumption, campus safety is also avoiding other issues that often are a contributing factor of alcohol such as sexual assault, vandalism, fighting and motor vehicle accidents to name a few.
With spring weekend right around the corner campus safety will be on their toes trying to keep the campus under control. Mitchell quoted the Chief of Police in Rindge, Michael Sielicki as saying, “Don’t invite us to your party.” As long as everyone is being responsible, “there is no need to have the Rindge Police Department here,” said Mitchell.
For more information about policies and procedures or about reporting any incidents to campus safety contact Stuart Mitchell at extension 4165.
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