By Jason Pacitti

They say that laughter is the best medicine. With the outbreaks of swine flu and norovirus this academic year, students at Fitchburg State College should be looking for laughter.
Well, FSC’s up-and-coming comedians have the prescription: They’re getting their start and the room to grow as performers at FSC’s open-mic nights at the Underground.
Joe O’Neil, a transfer student new this year to the college, is now breaking into this already flourishing scene. “I think they even have a guild I should join,” joked O’Neil. His stand-up routine is new, but his disregard for keeping it clean has already attracted many fans. 
It has also helped that his friends videotaped his first Underground performance and uploaded the clip to YouTube, naming it “Joe’s First Stand Up.” O’Neil was surprised when someone recognized him, asking, “Are you the dude from YouTube?” The video has garnered almost 250 views, persuading O’Neil to try his hand once again, although he may try different jokes on the younger college crowd.
“Sometimes I think my jokes might be more suitable for the bar down the road than on campus, O’Neil said. “I feel like old drunk guys would follow the humor more.” For example, O’Neil laughed about how he couldn’t figure out why one of the girls he knows from school didn’t laugh at a joke about his erectile dysfunction.
He said he had many of his jokes written for some time, but that the spark for writing new material seems easier to ignite now that he has gained some momentum and the reviews are positive. 
O’Neil’s plans for next semester are still very much up in the air, but if he continues to work out his funny bone, he will surely have something to fall back on.