SGA reveals theme of this year’s Casino Night

February 21, 2019

On Feb. 5, 2019, the Johnson SGA hosted the Reveal party for the theme of the 42nd annual Casino Night. This year’s theme is A Royal Affair. Every year the SGA’s Casino Night Committee picks a theme for the event in the fall and it is kept secret from everyone else on campus until the reveal party...

Build your mental health toolkit

Seana Rowell

February 21, 2019

In the last issue I wrote about the campus Wellness Center and suggested taking advantage of their free counseling and walk-in hours along with their self-guided relaxation, light therapy and biofeedback spaces. There may be times, though, when someone needs a listening ear in the middle of the night,...

Welcome to the Wellness Center

Seana Rowell

February 8, 2019

The first thing I’ve noticed each time I’ve stepped into the Wellness Center on the NVU-Johnson campus is the quiet, an intentional hush offset only by the white noise of the sound machines which line the halls and protect the privacy of students meeting with counselors behind closed doors. The second...

Legislators: stop this travesty

Adriana Eldred

February 8, 2019

My name is Adriana, and I’m a first-generation college student from a low-income household. Because of this I was not only encouraged to go to college, I was expected to. My parents had seen the struggles associated with not having a degree first-hand. They taught me that through hard work and dedication,...

SGA’s new project

Haley Frechette

February 8, 2019

The SGA has been working diligently this semester to listen and to meet the needs of our students and staff. One of the projects taken on by one of our Senators, Haley Frechette, was to replace the old, outdated water fountain inside of Dewey Hall. This water fountain did not have one of the filtered...

Words of wellness: adventures in sobriety

Shannon Russell

April 26, 2018

Shannon is a sophomore at JSC and is a founder and active member of Northern Vermont Recovery Program (NVRP). Hi, my name is Shannon and I am an alcoholic. By the grace of my higher power, I have not had a mind-altering substance since March 20th, 2013. At a young age I was diagnosed with post-tra...

Words of Wellness: seasonal affective disorder…SAD

John M. Grohol

March 15, 2018

Winter depression (or winter blues) is a common affliction for those who live in our northern climate. Its clinical name is seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and up to 5 percent of the population (especially in northern states) may suffer from it. Seasonal affective disorder is characterized by feelings...

Words of Wellness: outdoor therapy, nature’s cure

Melissa Cluff

February 20, 2018

Recent studies show that being outside has both positive psychological and physiological benefits. Ecotherapy (also known as green therapy, nature therapy, and earth-centered therapy) is contact with nature and is a powerful new kind of therapy. It has been found to be just as effective against depression...

Vermont State Colleges System Delivering Entrepreneurs and Workers

Chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges System Jeb Spaulding

February 8, 2018

The Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS) is a major workforce pipeline delivering entrepreneurs and workers to power our state’s economy. As a system, Castleton University, Community College of Vermont, Northern Vermont University – Johnson and Lyndon, and Vermont Technical College annually confer...

Words of Wellness: the connection between trauma and addiction

Courtesy of Ashwood Recovery

February 8, 2018

Addiction is a disease with several causal factors – genetics, environment, personal behavior, and experience, in the form of trauma. The relationship between trauma and substance abuse is complicated and closely intertwined. In other words, the road between the two goes both ways, and the negative...

Strategic Plan must address IT deficiencies

Thomas O'Leary, -Editor-in-Chief

February 8, 2018

With the spring 2018 semester officially in session, we are now a mere four months away from Johnson State College (JSC) and Lyndon State College (LSC) officially merging under the umbrella of Northern Vermont University (NVU). Regardless of whether you are students, faculty, staff, or administrators,...

A message from Student Trustee Benjamin Simone

Benjamin Simone

February 4, 2016

Hi, how’s it going? I’d like to introduce myself to you readers today, my name is Benjamin Simone, and in a few weeks, myself and 12 other members of the VSC Board of Trustees are going to decide on whether or not to raise your tuition. Now that I’ve got your attention, let me properly introduce mys...

Tolerance is not enough: addressing LGBT life on campus

Ryan Downs

February 4, 2016

Certainly, Johnson State has made some progress as far as the state of life for the LGBT community goes. There is now an LGBT oriented club on campus; a discussion was raised a year ago about how essential it is to keep the current gender neutral bathrooms on campus—as well as adding a few if poss...

10 tips for a healthy relationship

Joyce Woodford and Cynthia Hennard

February 18, 2015

Healthy relationships bring happiness and health to our lives. Studies show that people with healthy relationships really do have more happiness and less stress. There are basic ways to make relationships healthy, even though each one is different… parents, siblings, friends, lovers, partners, roomm...

Mindfulness

Cynthia Hennard

February 10, 2015

Do you know about mindfulness? One of the best definitions of mindfulness comes from Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, who says that Mindfulness is “paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally, to the unfolding of experience moment to...

Words of Wellness: Biofeedback

Chris Deery

December 4, 2014

Enjoy video games? Feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Then check out this brand new JSC service, which is offered through collaboration between the Health Center and the Behavioral Medicine Research Lab! It has been sweeping the country and is being used by several universities and colleges and is...

Words of Wellness: Gratitude, kindness and saving your soul

Cynthia Hennard

November 12, 2014

When this column comes out we’ll be two weeks away from Thanksgiving. A holiday with both light and shadow in the United States, given our history – a past that is what it is. We can, however, as enlightened beings, make better of our present and thus our recent past as we go forward. Whether overcoming...

Words of Wellness: The Fall of Autumn

Cynthia Hennard

October 30, 2014

“In the beginning there was nothing. God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better.” - Ellen DeGeneres “An age is called ‘dark’ not because the light fails to shine but because people refuse to see it.” - James...

Words of Wellness: Why Is Alcohol Binging Such A Big Deal?

Cynthia Hennard

October 19, 2014

In honor of Alcohol Awareness week and inspired by the Vermont Conference on Addictive Disorders that I recently attended, I thought I’d take a closer look at Alcohol Issues, particularly for those typical of College and High School Students who are under 25 and for those who drink heavily, when they...

Words of Wellness: Procrastination

Cynthia Hennard

September 24, 2014

Procrastination is one of the most stressful maladaptive strategies in life. Yes, we need to stay on top of our readings and assignments, work, friends, families, laundry and lives, but sometimes it all just can’t get done. If we “all or nothing” ourselves into dysfunction, we procrastinate on...

Thank you, Kind Sir

Victoria Greenia

May 8, 2014

I fell into love with a man a few nights ago and got a chocolate bar out of it –53% cocoa with pistachios and hot peppers, wrapped with a picture of Grace Potter. While I am neither a fan of chocolate nor the singer, the bar, more than half eaten, lays on the front passenger seat in my car as though...

A Band-Aid on a gaping wound

Tyrone Shaw

February 6, 2014

Editor’s note: The following commentary was originally published in Vt. Digger on Jan. 21. It’s been reprinted here due to its relevance, despite the protests of its author, stemming from his active involvement with Basement Medicine. Relevance is relevance. Gov. Shumlin’s latest budget is by ma...

Words of Wellness: If your body could talk…

Lori Koshowski

December 10, 2013

We’ve all heard the old adage ‘you are what you eat’, but have you ever stopped to think exactly how true that is? Put simply, healthy eating is the key to wellbeing. We all have up to 100 trillion cells in our bodies, each one demanding a constant supply of daily nutrients in order to function...

Words of Wellness: Focusing on the body to manage stress

Cynthia Hennard, Counseling Center Director

November 14, 2013

  Most of you probably already know that some stress is good. We need to activate some alertness and vigilance to function at our best. Stress activates the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). What we want is a nice fluctuation between sympathetic and par...

Words of Wellness: Constructive living

Cynthia Hennard, Counseling Center Director

October 17, 2013

Constructive Living Quotes: You don't need to fight your fears or discover hidden ones. Fear of flying is no reason to avoid air travel. For all your dreams you are what you do. Feelings fade over time unless re-stimulated by complaining or other circumstances. You can't build a life on ...

Stay Healthy as the Weather Changes

Lori Koshowski

September 25, 2013

In Vermont, we are so lucky to have extremely vibrant seasons. Fall turns out to be one of my favorites. I love all the beautiful harvest colors and the specific fragrant smells that it brings. Fall, of course, is really like an appetizer to the longer main course of the Vermont winter, which typica...

Words of Wellness

Cynthia Hennard, JSC counseling center director

September 11, 2013

These first few weeks on campus are sure to be interesting times. They might be the best ever or just OK or no big deal. Other weeks maybe unsettling, daunting or just feel like a big adjustment to deal with. All of which is normal. So we wanted to share some ideas and resources about making the best of thi...

You have the right to remain silent – right?

Phil O'Neil

May 3, 2013

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at the government’s expense. Boston...

Yoga: Fight stress and find serenity

Lori Koshowski

April 18, 2013

Your mobile phone is ringing, you have a paper due and a test to study for, you feel deprived of sleep, your neck and back are aching from long hours spent in classes and studying, you have the "sniffles" and a nagging cough and you have to work your weekend shift in order to pay your bills. Sound all...

Is It OK to Cry?

Cynthia Hennard, JSC Counseling Center director

April 18, 2013

It’s not just men that get the message that it is weak to cry. Plenty of women are stoics as well. There are plenty of situations when we’d really rather not burst into tears. It seems out of control – and it may be. The self-talk I hear frequently about one’s crying is that you feel: "you’re ...