Candid about culture shock at Napier University
Magnificent Schmidl, Staff Reporter
December 12, 2019
When I arrived at my Napier student accommodation in September, I was excited to meet my new flat mates. I knew that they would be fellow exchange students, but I didn’t know where they would be from or who they would be. With no way for me to contact any of them beforehand, I let my imagination take...
Going barefoot in Venice: the flood this time
December 12, 2019
It takes a certain amount of recklessness to walk through the flood-ravaged streets of an ancient city. But there we were, three Americans and an Australian, walking barefoot in Venice, Italy. We were there for a weekend holiday, just a week after the city was declared to be in a state of emergency...
In Scotland, issues of Brexit and independence divide generations
Magnificent Schmidl, Staff Reporter
November 7, 2019
I came to Scotland with the naive thought that maybe I would be able to escape the drama of politics for a semester. Well. I was able to free myself a little bit from American politics, but I was thrown right into even more drama and tension when I arrived in Scotland. Brexit is in full swing and frustration...
A love letter to HONK!
Ari Erlbaum, Staff Reporter
October 24, 2019
Full disclosure: I sometimes jump around playing saxophone in a red jumpsuit. Last weekend, my brass band, Brass Balagan, played as one of 25 bands at the HONK! Festival in Somerville, Massachusetts. The bands at HONK! are all “activist street bands.” This is a broad category, but they all tend...
Sights to see in Edinburgh
Magnificent Schmidl, Staff Reporter
October 24, 2019
I walk out my door on a cloudy morning to see the Union Canal across the street. The sky is grey, as it usually is in the morning, but like most days, it will clear up and be sunny by about 2 p.m. There are mallard ducks, swans, seagulls and magpies milling around as people walk, run or ride by on bikes. What...
24 hour comics: setting my inner eight-year-old free
Ari Erlbaum, Staff Reporter
October 24, 2019
“Cool,” I begin my interview with Stephanie Zuppo. “Umm…” “Yup,” they respond, chewing a bagel. They’re wearing fuzzy dragon pajamas. We’re not at the height of our conversational prowess. It’s 7:00 AM, and we’ve been up since 9:00 the day before, though Zuppo took a few naps....
In the land of bagpipes and haggis: an NVU student’s introduction to Scotland
Magnificent Schmidl, Staff Reporter
October 3, 2019
I am startled awake by the friendly “bing!” of the airplane’s seatbelt sign as we start our descent in the smallest plane I’ve ever been on. The turbulence begins, and I look out the window just as we duck into the troposphere and become immersed in a sea of clouds. A wave of anticipation and...
She’s for the birds
May 9, 2019
Hannah Miller is an assistant professor of Education at NVU-Johnson. What’s your biggest passion? School. I talk about school all the time. I have been in a school every year of my life since age three. So I have been a student, then a teacher, then student, then a professor. Now I’m a professo...
Easy rider
April 24, 2019
Jonathan Davis is the Dean of Students for NVU. What obsesses you? My biggest passion in my life is my kids. How many kids do you have? I have two kids. A nine year old and a seven year old. I mean, obviously that wasn’t always my passion. Sports, kids, and work. That’s all that I have time...
Brewing at the border
April 4, 2019
I’ve been in the Southwest for a few months now, and while I’ve had to adapt to many changes in my daily life here, the biggest change has been my relationship with coffee. We’re quite serious. I love coffee. I am accustomed to the constant availability of coffee in almost every...
An extroverted introvert
March 21, 2019
Emily Neilsen is the Coordinator of First-Year Events at NVU-Johnson. Neilsen grew up in Burlington and came to work for NVU-Johnson in 2012. How did you wind up here at Johnson? So, I was living in Burlington, and then my husband became the caretaker of a piece of property that’s like 200 acres....
A black eye in Vegas
March 21, 2019
I got a black eye in Las Vegas. A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to go to Las Vegas. It was for a two-day sevens rugby tournament. I had been practicing with our rag-tag team, the New Mexico State Lady Chiles, for a month. We were, in a word; ill-prepared. Because we didn’t have the numbers...
She’s just Ducky!
February 8, 2019
Ducky Joslin is a sophomore at NVU-Johnson majoring in Outdoor Education. What is the story behind the name “Ducky?” When I was really little my sister gave me the nickname because Iwas always following her around like a duckling with a baby diaper waddle, and I’d constantly be making duck f...
Letter from Las Cruces: Our far-flung correspondent checks in
February 8, 2019
It’s flat here. I noticed it as I flew over El Paso, Texas, how sprawling the landscape is, only to be interrupted by the occasional clump of jagged mountains. From the airplane window, I could see squares of land neatly sectioned off into various shades of brown and green between long roads and...
WJSC’s eclectic mix
December 14, 2018
It’s a busy semester at the WJSC 90.7 station in Stearns this semester. With nine planned shows in Spring 2019 spanning over 15 hours plus drop-in DJ time, WJSC has quite a lot to listen to. Student manager Seth Knight had positive things to say about this semester’s progress as a radio station. "...
TGIF for Dungeons and Dragons
October 2, 2018
It is 6 p.m. on Friday and for some on campus, that means one thing—game time. The players shuffle in one by one, carrying bags of dice and snacks to bribe the dungeon master, the game’s organizer. They settle in, heckle the latecomers, and begin checking what equipment their characters still have...
Dr. Twigg branches out
Phil O'Neil
May 10, 2018
Associate Professor Sharon Twigg is chair of the Writing and Literature Department and specializes in British Iiterature. She does double duty as associate academic dean at Johnson. You have dual positions here, one as associate academic dean at Johnson and one as associate professor and chair of the ...
Marrying young
Story and photo by Kylie Brown
May 9, 2018
“The moment that I decided that he was the one and I wanted to get married was literally the first time I saw him,” said Johnson State student Deanna Trahan. “I know that it sounds insane, but it’s true. I met Tyler in the Hannaford’s parking lot, and for some crazy reason I looked at my best...
Marijuana legalization poses possible pot policy conflict with Feds
Phil O'Neil
April 26, 2018
On Jan. 4, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo rescinding Obama-era guidance on state-level marijuana legalization, effectively rekindling a dated war on America’s most commonly used illicit substance. Coincidentally, Jan. 4 was also the day that the Vermont House gave final clearance...
I got my kicks at Beast of the East
April 26, 2018
I don’t often question the places I stand. Usually, I am placed there, and it is the confidence of others that typically gives me the peace of mind that I am useful in that spot and will do well there. That Saturday afternoon, April 14, as I stood poised on the rugby pitch, I seriously questioned...
Hana! Dul! Set!
Story and photo by Adriana Eldred
April 26, 2018
“Hana! Dul! Set! Net!” Stanley Parsons, otherwise addressed as Sir, has been involved in Taekwondo since 1984. Now in his 70s, with a thick mane of white hair and full beard, he watches his students critically from behind glasses and between bushy brows. He perches on a walker, a cane resting ...
The play’s the thing
December 13, 2017
Cody Logan is a JSC senior majoring in musical theater. He has appeared in many JSC productions, including “Grease,” “The Importance of Being Earnest” and “Cabaret.” Why do you snap instead of clap for people? Usually people clap. I like to be different than everyone else, not becaus...
How to play with cats: the art of heavy petting
Emily Clark
December 13, 2017
I walked into my friend’s apartment with the goal of preparing crepes on a Sunday morning, green cast iron crepe pan in my backpack and a jug of milk in my hand. I was greeted with the smell of fresh cat litter in the three trays, two of which are a new and temporary addition to the household. The...
Truth telling in Tennessee
December 13, 2017
Tucked away in the rolling hills and forested mountains of Tennessee’s Monroe County, Tellico Plains, borders North Carolina and resembles some of Vermont’s most scenic qualities, only with warmer temperatures, more republicans and evangelical Protestants per Pew Research Center. Tellico Plains,...
More than 1,000 words
November 29, 2017
John Miller is a professor of fine arts at Johnson State College, focusing mainly on photography, both traditional film and digital. In 1992, he published a book of photographs called “Deer Camp: Last Night in the Northeast Kingdom,” which documents the rituals and culture of hunting camps in northern...
Raising hell and making Noyes
Nellie Tamboe
November 8, 2017
Sandra Noyes has been working at JSC for 24 years. Along with serving as campus chair for the represented staff union, Noyes is staff assistant for the Humanities and Writing and Literature departments. What is your favorite part of this job? I think I’m supposed to say the students. That would be th...
“She did some stuff”
October 26, 2017
Brittney Malik is a JSC junior focusing her studies on theater. She grew up in Randolph, Vermont, and has made waves on campus with her activism and dedication. Her efforts helped bring together multiple campus events and performances, and raise the Black Lives Matter flag outside Stearns. What do you ...
Cuban media is more complicated than it seems
Nellie Tamboe
October 26, 2017
The media in Cuba, one of three remaining Communist countries in the word, is generally portrayed as a monolithic mouthpiece for the Cuban government, which maintains tight control over media coverage of everything from sports to politics. According to University of Havana professors Rafael Betancourt...
Outing club: “a mecca for outdoor recreation”
Megan Joyce
October 26, 2017
The next time someone tells you to take a hike, you might want to consider JSC’s Outing Club, which offers a variety of outdoor adventures including caving, bouldering, rock climbing, rafting and, yes, hiking. “The goal of Outing Club is to get students outdoors,” said Becca Farrow, the club’s...
Rocks in His Head
October 2, 2017
Leslie Kanat, professor of geology in the Department of Environmental and Health sciences, has taught at JSC since 1989 after receiving a Ph.D. in earth sciences at Cambridge University. How did you end up in Cambridge? I ended up in Cambridge because of the work I was doing as a maste...
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