Project Playground

An update on how the Downing Street playground project has been progressing

by Claire Tierney
Scarlet Staff

As many students know, Project Playground is the initiative led by Katy Cleminson, Angelica Surra, Ali Canino, and Kat Hills, to revitalize the dilapidated playground on the corner of Downing and Florence Street.

The land the current playground is situation on is actually owned by Clark University. The group heading the project has been diligently working towards obtaining funding and support from Clark as well as the Main South community.

Their hard work is paying off, with the Project Playground planning on being completed this year.

Back in September, Project Playground gained over 700 signatures from Clark Students. When Student Council found themselves with a surplus of $70,000, Project playground began to campaign for funding.  According to Katy Cleminson, a senior, Project Playground originally asked for $45,000 for Playground equipment, $5000 of which is intended for more costly, but also sustainable construction materials such as rubber. The group was awarded $39,100 from the Student Council’s surplus, as well as an additional $500 from the Student Leadership and Programming Office.

According to Cleminson, $30,000 will definitely be used for purchasing playground equipment. Short $5,000 of their projected budget, Project Playground is currently accepting donations in an effort to garner the rest of their funding.

Project Playground will be holding a general meeting for members of the Worcester community at the CDC Main South on February 8th, though students are welcome to attend.

Cleminson says, “At the community meeting, we will be finalizing the design, getting input from the parents of the children who will be using the playground.”

From the Archives

A History Lesson: Why publications started at Clark and what kept them going

By Ashley Klann
Editor-in-Chief

We’ve been stickin’ it to the man since 1927, but over the decades, The Scarlet has changed in many ways since it was first published. But then again, some things never change. “From the Archives” will be a semester-long look at when things were different and how The Scarlet became what it is today. Clarkies of the past have Spreed like the best of us, enjoyed nice weather on the Green, and sweated to death in the JC, and although we are all intrinsically linked by our alma mater, Clark and its students have changed over the years. And The Scarlet has served both as a record and a changing entity of its own.

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Throughout the archived student publications in Goddard, roughly 100 years are enclosed. The title, cover stories, concerns, and opinions of the writers have changed drastically over time, but as I perused the archives, I found things that could have been written yesterday. Some things are timeless. Clarkies will always be Clarkies, but The Scarlet has served unique purposes in its time.

From 1918 to 1919, The Clark College Reveille was printed to cover various campus news, but predominantly that relating to WWI. Cover stories included images of the College Commandant, Col. Thomas W. Griffith, a graph of Clark’s contribution to the United War Work Campaign, and various opinions from students and faculty about the financial struggles therein and the 54 students who left to join the war.

Bliss or miss?

Worcester placed second on CareerBliss.com’s list of happiest U.S. cities in which to work

by Kathryn Natale
Scarlet Staff

Recently, CareerBliss.com compiled a list of the happiest and unhappiest cities to work in.

Photo Courtesy of CareerBliss.com

Forbes published these findings last week, calling attention to a surprising runner-up for the happiest city to work in: Worcester. Clark’s beloved hometown placed second on the list with a score of 4.10 out of 5, just behind Miami, which placed at number one with a score of 4.14. The unhappiest city on the list was New Haven, CT, with a score of 3.46, followed by Dayton, OH, and Milwaukee, WI.

Scores were based on data received from over 43,000 employee reviews throughout 2011. The survey asked employees to rate their work experience in ten areas, including relationships with bosses and coworkers, compensation, work environment, and growth opportunities. Each factor was rated on a five point scale and weighted against how important employees indicated the factor was to their happiness.

Many Clarkies would never have guessed in a million years that Worcester made the list. “I was shocked to hear that Worcester was listed as one of the happiest places to work,” said Amelia Eimert, a senior at Clark. “I wouldn’t get that from what I see every day.” Walking through Main South, a myriad of unhappy faces can be seen in the streets lined with small businesses and abandoned factories. So just who are these jolly workers? CareerBliss’s survey only required fifty participants from a city in order for it to qualify, so perhaps there was not a representative sample from Worcester included in the survey – or maybe there is more to Worcester than meets the eye. CareerBliss’s chief executive, Heidi Golledge, told Forbes that the key factors for worker happiness are opportunities for growth and company culture. Even if only fifty people from Worcester participated in the survey, that’s at least fifty people who view Worcester’s performance in these areas as exceptional.