Rikki Feightner

Lyre Night

On April 9th, 2015, another generation of prospective trainees entered the Band. It's my fourth year spending time with the company and as I reflect on it.... strange to see it now for the last time. It's a wonderful, yet poignant trend that's been growing with each passing week; last Lyre night, last concert, last parade, last formation. When I started as a Rook here (fall 2011, wow!), it seemed like getting my Lyre itself was forever far away, and graduation was an event that really didn't even seem real.

And now there's a cast of new faces in the barracks; always a few new Zoobies at hand in the lounge, milling around the 2nd and 3rd decks of Ransom where the company lives now. I've known them for less than a semester, as they have (with one exception) only known me for a few months. But the type of bond you find between members once you're all a part of the company... I can't speak to how it is in the other Provo units, or in companies outside out battalion, but here, once you have a Lyre, you're essentially welcomed back as family forever. And that's a good feeling to have.

So though once I walk across that stage I'll never be a student again, I can rest easy that in some way, at heart I will always be a Cadet and a member of the Band. The Company is in good hands next year and finally, it's time to sit back, relax, and watch May roll in.

Respectfully,

Rikki Feightner, Band Co. '15

Continuity in College Organizations

    As my random post of the month, I felt the need to write a little on an issue that I think is huge in the limited four-year scope of most students' college career; continuity. Continuity is a problem that slips through the fingers of most college students, sometimes. This is mostly due to the limited vision of college students concerning their on-campus activities.

    I don't say this in an attempt to dis anyone, merely in an attempt to state a fact; that for most, the focus on college shifts about halfway through from simply experiencing college to focusing on what comes AFTER college; namely, job-hunting and for us military types, paperwork and the medical hoops you need to jump through in order to even get to the paperwork.

    This, of course, can cause problems when the same students that are largely focusing on life outside of college are also, for the most part, the Presidents and leaders of in-college clubs and organizations.

    It's entirely possible- and even rather common, then, for a club to do amazingly one year and horrible the next, or vice-versa, based on a combination of two things; the leader's ability to, well, lead, and the continuity that's been left behind from previous position holders. And this doesn't just hold for leaders/Presidents, either. Treasurers, Public Affairs, even Secretaries; it’s a problem across the board.

    So what exactly is meant by the term continuity? That varies by organization. For most clubs, it’s procedural continuity; what events the clubs hosts, how to do these events, what financial forms to turn in (and how to format them, and when,) and so on. But even a single piece of paper saved to a common drive can make the difference between a successful, smooth event and one that’s been re-designed from scratch, and thus probably has its own share of first-time mistakes.

    Continuity helps deadlines get met and events to be improved and ran smoothly, new events to be created from old ones, mistakes from the past to not be repeated, etc.

    Therefore, my suggestions for club continuity are fairly simple; first, there’s a definite need for some kind of neutral cloud storage.  It could be a “club gmail account” or a “club dropbox”, but having a common storage area that isn’t tied to someone who will graduate in a few years allows for the electronic (read: easily accessible for years) archiving of alumni lists, do’s and don’ts, future projects- you get the idea.

    Next; train your replacement! As helpful as an online form can be in describing how to elect club members or take meeting notes, doing it a few times with the current position-holder watching over/correcting their replacement can make all the difference. It ensures a more “smooth” transition and is less likely to miss those little nuances that a Word document just can’t translate.

    Finally, keep a close network with alumni, interested faculty, and outside agencies willing to help. This sort of continuity isn’t direct, but more than likely comes instead from people who have a ton of experience and years of knowledge that might just be an email, phone call, or meeting away.

Happy organizing!

 

Very Respectfully,

Rikki Feightner, NU Band Co. ‘15

On the horizon

Graduation ahead!

    It's happening on campus at The Grad Finale Event. It's happening in our Air Force class as we begin to plan out details for our commissioning ceremony. It's in the details like Seniors sharing memories, some job hunting, some housing hunting. Lists are coming out for duty stations. Acceptance letters are coming out for jobs and grad schools.

    And though some embrace and some deny, graduation is just over a month away.

    April will be lightning fast. It always is. For me, this month will involve my final events for the Band (our last parade, our last Dining In, our last practice, parade, concert, etc.), and a whole ton of preparation work for the Air Force. Paperwork on top of paperwork, mostly. But also the excitement of the summer to come; roadtrips, packing, summer jobs, and preparing for the next year of my life living at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.

    I'm excited to go. What I believe life has in store for me is exciting and dynamic, but I can't deny that I'll miss this place. I'll miss the close contact and day-to-day facetime I get with my friends, who soon too will be scattered to the four corners of the country. I'll miss the particular brand of Norwich humor, the fast (sometimes unforgivingly so) pace of life here. I'll miss being a student, relatively free of bills, relatively living an easy life. And yes, in a sick sort of way there'll be times that I'll even miss the weather here.

    We make jokes at Norwich's expense quite a lot here, especially in the Corps. We love to point out what could be better. But when you get right down to it, what most of us won't admit... is that deep down, to most of us, over the last four years, Norwich has become a sort of home.

But graduation is coming. And there's a lot to keep us busy in the meantime.

 

Respectfully,
Rikki Feightner, NU Band Co. '15

St. Patty's with the Band

St. Patrick’s Day! Almost more celebrated in the United States than it is in Ireland, funnily enough. This parade was the last big one aside of the Lexington and Concorde parade that we as Seniors will be marching with the Band. And it’s been a wild ride. I remember playing for New England High Schools. Recording two different CDs. Marching at the Inaugural Parade in Washington D.C. for the President. And now this. I may be extremely proud of the major’s ability to get me off campus and into new environments, but I must admit that my company is amazing at it, too.

The parade itself was a lot of fun. We started fairly late in the day, which was a bit of a bummer because most of the parade-goers had left in search of pubs and Irish fare by the time we’d begun to march. But afterwards, we had the opportunity to get out into New York City proper. The last time I’d been in NYC, it was my sophomore year with the officers of the NULGBTQA (now renamed as the NU Alliance) for a celebration and conference around the one-year anniversary of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, an anti-LGBTQ+ law that prohibited service members from identifying and non-heterosexual. This time, it was for a different purpose, and we got to see different parts of the city, as well. While I didn’t make it up into the Empire State Building again, I did go in the company of my fellow Zoobies (an in-company affectionate for members of the Band) to Times Square, which I’d never really been to. It was wonderful!

After that, it was up again the next morning to drive back to Norwich; but not before a real New York Lox Bagel (my favorite) and an iced coffee. While I’m not fond of missing the work days, I have to say; being able to go on these trips every once in a while is great for the students and for the University; we get to be “the face of the Corps”, and get out for some ‘fresh air’ at the same time!

And who isn’t up for a bit of adventuring in NYC?

Respectfully,

Rikki Feightner, Band CO. ‘15

Montreal at Last!

Or should I say, Montreal. It’s funny; here we are in the heart of French Canada, with not a one of us being very confident in French. To be completely honest, I didn’t think that it would be this intense of a language shift, or I would have started studying earlier! But it’s my first trip into Canada (my lone excuse for finding a lace colder than Norwich to go to for Spring Break!) and I’m terribly excited. The money is multi-colored and, as always, I’m determined to bring a bit of it home. I don’t know why, but for some reason, foreign currency just fascinates me!

The first thing we noticed when crossing the border was the change from standard to metric. Aside of that, it was a series of little nuances; the ways the roads were constructed, the dollar sign coming after as opposed to before a price. It’s funny because despite all the places I’ve been in Asia, I actually took for-granted how different our lovely northern neighbor could be. Not that all of Canada is like French Quebec. But it’s a distinct part of the country, to be sure!

Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that things in Montreal are eclectic, but pretty expensive! That’s what you get for visiting one of Canada’s premier cities though, I suppose.

Getting around has gone pretty smoothly so far thanks to my new tablet and some good communication between the four of us who came on this journey. It isn’t a terribly conventional spot for Spring Break, but it’s quiet and comfortable and a good spot to find a nice balance between work and play (also not a normal concern during Spring Break, but being realistic, we all carved out one day of break to just sit down and do some work, so that we’re not swamped when we get back).

Tomorrow we set out for the real adventure, when most of the work is over and the adventuring begins. On our list of things to do and see are the biodome and planetarium of Montreal, the Olympic Park (maybe, I’ve heard mixed reviews on this!), Old Montreal and the Notre Dame basilica, as well as a few other hot spots around the city (Espace Espresso Bar, anyone?!). With one of our group having a Birthday on Tuesday, we’ve also set our sights on some of the city’s cool spots, including the playfully-named “Irish Embassy” restaurant and tavern, and Dieu de Ciel, supposedly the best place for house-made craft beers in all of Montreal.

Excited to see where this goes!  I’ll let you guys know how it all was later on in the month. Stay warm for now!

(The picture below is one I took later in the week; as it turned out, the Notre Dame was beyond amazing to look and play photographer in!)

Respectfully,

Rikki Feightner, Band Co. ‘15

Senior year vs. Rook year; 2nd Semester

Final blog of February. You know, I’ve gotten to thinking about how soon we’re graduating, and it brought up a couple of funny thoughts about what second semester was like as a rook compared to now, as a Senior. And as we head into March, I’d like to share a few of those thoughts with you;

As a Senior, there are actually quite a few academic things you WANT to go to. Todd Lectures (not all, but some), thesis presentations, workshops offered by the school… maybe it’s just me, but I find myself attending a lot more of these now that it isn’t mandatory…

You get more sleep as a rook. Period. I covered this last blog, and though it seems paradoxical, by the time you’re a Senior the extra “stuff” you’ve taken on has the definite power to knock your sleep down to five hours a night… or less, if you aren’t careful.

How old the seniors looked as a rook vs how young the rooks look as a senior. I don’t really know how to better articulate that unless you’ve been through the Corps.

You can go to chow in “civis” (non-uniform clothes) starting Friday night, but half the time you’ll be there after 11am on the morning anyway. As a Rook it was encouraging to go as soon as possible just to get out of uniform.

On a contrary note, as a Senior you’re so used to wearing the uniform that especially in the Winter, it’s not uncommon to find yourself not noticing (or minding) that it’s 8pm and you’re still in it. Being a Mentor vs. a Mentee. It makes you really think about the image you’re giving.

And finally, the feeling of “college will last forever” vs. “Where have the last 3 years gone?!”. Seriously. We’re less than three months away. It's a scary, but awesome thought.

See you in March!

Respectfully,

Rikki Feightner, NU Band Co. '15

February boredom busters - at NU!

As February comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on the year’s shortest month while spent at NU. Ask a student here, especially a Cadet, what the most miserable month on the Hill is. Chances are, they’ll likely say February; the snow, the short, bitter cold days…. As much as even I’m a fan of arctic scenery, it isn’t always the most appealing. But even though every week we hear the same complaint, of  “nothing to do”, by the time the weekend comes around, you can be sure that there’ll be plans made.

So in the spirit of the weekend, here are some February events as Norwich;

Winter Carnival typically happens the first weekend of February and consists of a special meal from Sodexo and a nightly party in the Mill/outside at the Rail Jam, where a miniature ski/snowboard jump is built next to the WCC “green” (in quotations because it’s currently an outdoor ice rink) where you’ll often see students skating or, more commonly, trying out some amateur hockey. And if you like hockey, Norwich’s nationals-winning men’s team plays every other week, with the highlights of their season often being in February. The games are free for the students and at other points in the week you can also watch the women’s and club teams take on their competition.

Hockey not your thing? There’s a variety of other snow sports to do around the area, including snowshoeing and sledding available across the street at the Shaw center. And having gone snowshoeing for the first time just this week, I can confirm that it’s a blast.

For those looking for something warmer, there’s always the option of working out, basketball, swimming, or billiards at different spots on campus. Usually, they’re open on the weekends to those looking to blow off some steam. And who doesn’t love preparing for beach season?

And this is all on campus, too. If you’re looking to get off campus, there’s a ton of amazing spots to discover that are both native Vermont fare, like sugar on snow, for example (look it up!), and more nationwide pursuits like the Ben & Jerry’s factory outside of Burlington. If you’re looking for something with a little more giveback, the center for civic engagement is always ready with service projects off campus throughout the state that lets you get some air while doing some good.

Personally, I like to occupy my weekends by catching up with friends, exploring new places in Vermont in search of the best coffee (Sorry Dunkin’…), and hitting the gym so I won’t feel guilty about that bit of ice cream at dinner.

Moral of the story? Even though February can see like a gray month, as long as you’ve the will to make the most of it, it can be the best!

 

Respectfully,

Rikki Feightner, NU Band Co. ‘15

THE WEEK OF MIDTERMS

It’s Friday! Finally, and the week of Midterms is nearly over. It’s been a long and difficult week to be sure, but with tests behind me, it’s one week to regroup and plan before Spring Break.

This week brought, on top of normal assignments,  a total of one paper due, one presentation, and three midterms… almost one every day, with my most jam-packed day being yesterday, which contained three! But as long as I keep the weekend in mind, follow my study tips, and remember the sleep/work ratio, it flows pretty well.

But it started off pretty well; Monday, I received confirmation that my payments when through alright. Last week, I paid off $5300 of my loans/college debt, all with my own money, all by myself. It’s not even a third of the debt I’ll have when I leave Norwich, but being a student that has relied exclusively on Air Force/Norwich Scholarships these four years, I can happily say that I’m living proof that it –IS- possible, and even doable, to put yourself through college here. Just stick with it!

When studying, I’ve found from observation that everyone has their own method. Studying in a Café full of people with a notebook may work for some people (they say that white noise helps), but for me as a social extrovert, I’m sure to get distracted. My optimal routine, I’ve found, comes from secluding myself to my room and plugging in headphones and some ambient tracks from Youtube… it’s easy, free, and effective! I’ll also take a quick break whenever I feel like it… scheduling breaks works for some people, but it doesn’t seem to motivate me.

With that, I’ve also learned that sleep is essential. Seriously. No sleep + PT at 0545 = Bad Time… I’ve learned this before and I unfortunately reaffirmed it on Tuesday. Even someone like me who tries to squeeze every minute out of the day… you’ve got to get at least six hours. Funny to think that some of the most sleep I’ve gotten while at Norwich was has as a Rook….

But on to the fun stuff. Montreal, where I’ll be visiting for the first time over Spring Break, holds all sorts of excitement for me. And with that, the opportunity to actually relax, plan some things out for next semester, and get back into things that I enjoy, like crafts and photography. Montreal is supposed to be a pretty photograph-able city, too, so I’ll make sure to share some cool snapshots that I take when I return.

Finally, I’ll be taking another look at my “stuff” this weekend, in the interest of skimming down the amount of possessions I have with me. As someone who doesn’t live too terribly close to Norwich, I’ll be taking all of my stuff home in a minivan at the end of the year. Word to the wise; when you become an upperclassman at Norwich, a lot of people fall into the trap of trying to make things feel more like “home” by purchasing a lot of stuff. Don’t do this. By keeping the amount of possessions you have at the dorms low, you’ll save yourself a ton with less to store, less to move, and less to carry with you when you leave. It stops headaches from these issues and saves you the potential heartache of throwing things out when the year ends!

Respectfully,

Rikki Feightner, Band Co. '15

"A Day in the Life"

Since we’re talking about a typical week, let’s start with a typical Monday!

0515: Getting to PT (Physical Training) on time is important, so I wake up a little early to change, brush my teeth and hair, etc.

0545-0645: PT with Air Force ROTC at Plumley Armory. Each day has a different routine, but Mondays typically have a cardio/upper body focus. In the Air Force Dept., I’m a Cadet Squadron Commander, which entails watching over the two flights I’m assigned to and PT’ing with them. At the end of PT our Cadet Wing commander meets and gives out any announcements for the week, and then we’re on our way.

0655-0720: Showering, putting up my hair & getting into uniform, not forgetting to grab my Norwich ring, and then it’s downstairs and out to get ready for formation.

0735: Open ranks inspection, where uniforms are checked to ensure the members of Band Company are ready for the day. Followed shortly by morning Formation.

0745: Accountability report, followed by formation, followed by a quick day’s announcements from the Cadet Colonel.

0750-0830: Off to breakfast! Best to go a little closer to 0800 as the rush will have died out a little.

Academics vary from day to day, classes typically following either a Monday-Wednesday-Friday or a Tuesday-Thursday pattern. T-R classes are typically a bit longer to compensate for only being two days a week. On M-W-F, I don’t have class until 11, so I’m free to study, do independent research, or whatever else strikes my fancy until 10:45 when it’s time to pack up and go to class.

1100-1150: Political Philosophy with Prof. Andrew. You need to do the reading here! Prof. Andrew is a great teacher; I usually get the best notes from his class. Currently, we’re finishing up Hobbes’ Leviathan and moving into the works of Adam Smith.

1200-1235: Upstairs in the Wise Campus Center (WCC) Skybox, planning out the rest of my day and again waiting out the crowd downstairs in the Chow Hall (Dining Facility) until the lines are easier. Then, it’s lunch, which fluctuates frequently in terms of what’s offered. (Sodexo has gotten much better the past few years in terms of variety and ingenuity.)

1245-1350: Class prep time.

1400-1450: Chinese Military History with Prof. Kim. (She’s fluent in three languages!) We’re just finishing up Romance of the Three Kingdoms and moving into studies on types of Chinese armor in that time period.

1500-1600: An hour of leisure time, in which I normally hang out with the Band guys as we wait for practice.

1600-1800: Band Practice! We’re shifting out of the Concert Band pieces for winter and sampling a few different styles as the Band- and Colonel Edwards- gear up for our St. Patrick’s Day Parade in NYC, where we’ve been invited to play in an overnight  trip.

1800-1830: Dinner.

1830-1900: I usually sit in on Battalion passdown (weekly announcement of events, policies, etc) just for fun with my Company Commander/1SG… it’s just good to know firsthand what’s going on.

1930-2000: Company passdown with the Band. I help keep the Corporals in line while the 1SG gets things announced, and we attend to any in-company matters before breaking out for the week.

2000: Done! 8pm and I’m finally changing out of uniform, attending to any homework and seeing friends before going to bed around 2330… after all, there’s PT for us again on Tuesday and 0515 is an early start!

 

Mondays are one of my busiest days, but a good way to set up for the week to come. Talk to any Cadet on the Hill and you’ll find that their schedule really varies from day to day. One day you may have 9 hours of classes (personal experience) and the next, no class at all(also personal experience)! It’s your own adventure.

Here’s to a great weekend, and the week ahead,

Respectfully,

Rikki Feightner, Band Co. ‘15

Back to the Hill

Back to Norwich, back to my life, back to the final semester of college. And all of a sudden I’m looking at moving costs and graduation announcements (kidding, I don’t buy those!) and parting ways from my friends, possibly forever…

Let me tell you. It’s terrifying.

But I’m back at Norwich. The entire first week I had this big stupid grin on my face, like, I’m actually –excited- to be back here. And so, I find, are some of the other kids who studied abroad. Because we had the option to leave, having the luxury to come back and suddenly be in the thick of Senior year is almost unreal.

First of all, getting saluted is.. cool? Odd? I’m the Platoon Leader for Band Co., so it’s not that I’m a high-ranking officer. But just being one in general is different. So is being one of the older cadets on campus. The rooks look so.. young. And not for the first time, I find myself wondering if we looked that young when we were freshmen? I’d give $20 to look through their eyes for a day, to see if we all look as old as the Seniors seemed my freshman year.

In our Air Force class, we’re slowly preparing for life in the real world. Finding out last spring that I was destined to be among the 36 other cadets that got chosen nationwide to be an Air Battle Manager (ABM) was exciting, and now I know that my initial 10 months of training will be at Tyndall Air Force, Florida. We’re all growing up.

Planning out my last Spring Break of college, writing final research papers, watching my friends prepare for their first duty stations… It’s finally getting there. Four years, and we’ve got out rings and we’ve got our jobs. Now, it’s the long haul through this last Vermont winter and a sprint to the finish that is graduation and commissioning.

But really, I don’t mind it.