Before the 1980s and the study of the HIV, many people pierced themselves, or were pierced by inexperienced friends or siblings: at home, using a sewing needle sterilized by heating with matches or boiling, and numbing the earlobe or other body part with an ice cube. Today, to support the demand for a clean and safe piercing environment, piercing salons, methods, and piercers themselves are much more cautious.

Last week the Megley Theatre welcomed the opening of Arthur Miller’s “Playing for Time,” a haunting account of women who form an orchestra to survive their internment in Auschwitz. Performances end this weekend, Nov. 14-15 at 8 p.m.

Mosaic Correspondent Elisabeth Steinhardt talked with Jacqueline “Jackie” Boyle, a senior at Salve who is double-majoring in Theater Arts and English Communications about her role in Miller’s play.

One of the biggest concerns for parents sending their teenagers to college is the crime rate, both on and off campus. Nobody wants to send their child to a university where they are in danger when they walk down the road to their dormitory after dark. There is little to fear on the Salve campus, with an avid Department of Safety and Security ready for any sign of distress.

This week, the thin blue books that signal the imminent close of one semester and registration for the next were distributed across campus. Seniors gladly ran to McAuley and the mailroom to look at the options for what will be their final semester at Salve.

Our final semester.

Does this scare the hell out of anyone else?

There are many people right here in Newport who are not able to afford a good winter coat. And their resources for buying a new one this winter are practically nonexistent. You can help.

Salve’s Social Work Club is holding a winter coat drive in conjunction with several other agencies in Rhode Island.