Students: take advantage of what you have around you!

Katie Davert

Welcome to Franklin Pierce University! Surely by now you are acclimated to the campus and all of your classes so you may have spare time. Not sure what to do with all that time on your hands? There is so much to do on campus as well as venturing out around Rindge, Jaffrey, Peterborough, and Keene.

There are dozens of different things to do around campus, starting with the clubs and organizations to get involved in. The clubs range from the Anthropology club to the Literary Club and we even have a Glassblowing Club for those interested in fine arts. There are also organizations/clubs like the Gay/Straight Alliance, with a mission to pursue equality as well promote understanding and acceptance in our community. Clubs are always looking for new members, so never be afraid to join! The meetings are held at different times and the times and days can easily be found on Campus Web or at the Info Desk in the Campus Center.

Apart from clubs there are other activities to do around campus. Of course there is hanging out with friends in the dorms, but there is more here than meets the eye! The campus is home of the Raven’s Nest, also known as “The Pub”, which is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They serve different types of food than what the dining hall offers like milkshakes and smoothies that are always freshly made. It’s a great place to hang out with friends over some delicious onion rings or pizza!

Farther down the road are our sports fields, where you can go and cheer on your fellow Ravens at one of their games. They love the support of any and all of their peers. Just across the road from Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field is Pearly Pond. Here you can go fishing and swimming along with renting kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, and sailboats. There are also activities that will be coming back in the spring such as water polo, kayak polo, and oozeball, a game of volleyball played in a mud pit and afterwards the players jump in the pond for a swim.

Some freshmen don’t have cars on campus so if you don’t, don’t worry! There’s the shuttle that will drive to the Wal-Mart and Dunkin Donuts along with Market Basket and everything included in the Cheshire Marketplace plaza. Farther down, if you do have a way of transportation, is Jaffrey. In Jaffrey there is the Monadnock State Park, where you can get a great workout hiking the trails up the mountain! The school hosted a free climb in early September but it’s open to climb year round for a five-dollar fee for the day. Just beyond Jaffrey is Peterborough, which is home to churches, museums, state parks and other small stores, some of which can be found in the Peterborough Plaza.

Of course, there is Keene, one of the bigger cities in the Monadnock area. There are museums, shops and other outdoor trails to go hiking. When you first arrive in Keene there is the Central Square, where most of the fun lies. Along this road are shops, restaurants and even the Colonial Theatre. The Center Square was the home of the pumpkin festival but this year it is being held in Laconia instead on October 24th. Don’t miss out!