Monthly Archives: January 2015

News

Two years’ free college on the President’s agenda

 

Over the break President Obama announced that he plans to push for making the first two years of community college “free for everybody who’s willing to work for it.”

By working for it, he means that students receiving this funding will have to attend college at least half-time, maintain a 2.5 or greater GPA, and “make steady progress toward completing a program,” the New York Times reports that White House officials said.

Obama discussed the plan in his State of the Union address on Jan. 20, in which he said that by the end of the decade, “Two in three job openings will require some higher education,” and said he hopes to make “two years of college as free and universal in America as high school is today.”

Obama’s plan is modeled after The Tennessee Promise, a program drafted by Republican Governor Bill Haslam. That program becomes available starting with the graduating high school class of 2015, and takes the form of a scholarship covering the remaining cost of tuition at state community colleges and technical schools after the value of any Pell grants and certain other scholarships students receive. Tennessee Promise students also have to complete eight hours of community service per semester, and maintain a 2.0 or greater GPA.

The Lowell Sun spoke to three community college administrators, including NECC President Lane Glenn, about the plan. Glenn agreed that the plan, if successfully implemented, would be a huge help to “some of the neediest [students] and also some of the students who can take this country the farthest,” but pointed out that similar plans have been attempted, and have failed, around the country including in Massachusetts.

Sports

Getting involved in spring sports

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Anyone who is interested in participating in a sport for the Spring 2015 semester must submit a recruiting form, a physical and an immunization form before becoming eligible to compete.
These forms, along with others such as the NJCAA eligibility form and the Code of Conduct can be found on NECC’s athletic website,
athletics.necc.mass.edu under the header “Become a Knight.”
Players who are interested in playing softball are
encouraged to contact head coach Robert Gillespie at rgillespie@necc.mass.edu or at (978)-556-3828. Gillespie is always looking for new
players to add to the team.
If track is more your style, you can contact head coach William Roche at
wroche@necc.mass.edu or at (978)-556-3826. This is Roche’s first season as head coach.
He was formerly the
assistant track coach under Richard Brown.
Those interested in trying out for the baseball team can contact head coach Jeff Mejia at jmejia@necc.mass.edu or at (978)-556-3827.
The Knights baseball team is coming off another great season that ended with a loss in the NJCAA World Series in Tyler, Texas.
They will undoubtedly be striving for another run to the World Series this year.
As always, if interscholastic sports aren’t suited for you, there are always opportunities to play intramural sports right on the Haverhill campus.
The schedule is always posted at necc.mass.edu under the header “Student Life.”
It can also be found on the bulletin board in the lobby of the Sport and Fitness Center on the Haverhill campus.
It will be updated for the Spring 2015 semester in a matter of days.
Some sports offered for intramurals are flag football, soccer, volleyball and ultimate frisbee. among others.
There is also a gaming area in the lobby of the Sport and Fitness Center, complete with ping pong tables and pool
tables for a small fee.
There are a few days each semester when use of the pool tables is free.
There is also a snack bar in the main lobby.
Students who would like to use a locker can visit the main office at the Sport and Fitness Center (D106) and request one.

Sports

Knights drop three of four coming out of winter break

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The Knights have struggled coming out of the winter break this year, going 1-3 over the first four games of the new year. The Knights opened with double-digit losses at Southern Maine
Community College and at home against Lincoln College of New England before netting a tight
57-53 win over Vermont
Technical College last Sunday. Hoping to get a winning streak started, the Knights suffered a tough overtime loss on the road at
Bristol Community College Tuesday night.
The loss at Southern Maine was mainly caused by poor ball handling. The Knights committed 14 turnovers in the game
compared to only ten assists. Any game where the turnovers
outnumber the assists is more than likely going to end up in a loss, and a team like NECC just isn’t talented enough to make up for mistakes like that.
Matthew Jameson and Elijah Mukiibi struggled offensively, combining to shoot 4-25 from the field (16 percent) and only
netting 11 points. The backcourt duo of Edwin Gonzalez and Bryan Morales did most of the scoring for the Knights. Morales finished with ten points and only one turnover while Gonzalez scored 24. Gonzalez added five rebounds and five steals to round out his numbers.
It was much of the same when the Knights returned home to face off with
Lincoln College of New
England. NECC was outrebounded by 28 (65-37) and committed 15 turnovers. Despite another poor team shooting performance (33 percent from the field, 29
percent from three), the scoring was a little more evenly distributed.
Jameson and Mukiibi got back on track, scoring 17 and 13 points, respectively. Mukiibi also had eight rebounds. Forward Jonathan Paulino had a big day in the paint with a double-double (11 points, 16 rebounds) and Gonzalez came through with 13 points and a few assists. Kevin Brito contributed 12 points and two rebounds off the bench, while Chris Corey scored seven.
The win over Vermont Technical College exemplifies just what has to happen for the Knights to be successful. While they still committed 12 turnovers, the Knights shot the ball extremely well from three-point range (53.3 percent) and from the field in general (39.2 percent). With an undersized roster that has some trouble with rebounding, the number one remedy is to put the ball in the hoop.
Morales had another good game with 13 points including four three-pointers. Jameson was right behind with ten points, and Gonzalez added seven. Mukiibi and Paulino did their job down low, coming down with nine and eight rebounds, respectively. Each added a handful of points as well.
The Knights came out in the next game against Bristol with a bit of momentum from the previous win. They played well during much of the game, even out-rebounding Bristol 49-35. But they struggled to shoot the ball again, only hitting 31.7 percent of their shots and 19.2 percent from the field. Although they forced 14 turnovers, NECC committed 12 on their end, continuing the trend of bad ball handling. The defense faltered in the overtime period and Bristol was able to take a commanding lead.
The big men in the middle were the stars of this one. Mukiibi and Paulino both recorded double-doubles, with Mukiibi scoring 18 points and pulling down 14 rebounds and Paulino netting 14 points and 18 rebounds. The two of them combined for more rebounds than the entire starting five for Bristol. Gonzalez and Jameson also came to play, with Gonzalez scoring 14 points and Jameson scoring 11.
The Knights now stand at 6-11 on the season. With only ten games left to go, it’s going to be a fairly tough road to register even a .500 record. NECC still faces tough tests against teams like Roxbury Community College, Holyoke Community College and the University of Connecticut at Avery Point.
The one thing going for the Knights is that most of the remaining games are at home, but that is of little comfort to a team that is still struggling to put the ball in the net.

Features

Faces of the Sport and Fitness Center

 

Nodine Webster, a newcomer to NECC last semester, is a personal fitness major at NECC. She plans to transfer to Framingham State University once her time at NECC is done, and is passionate about both education and fitness. Webster started working at the Sport and Fitness Center last semester. “When I took the tour here, I just felt like it was a welcome environment, and I have always loved fitness even before coming here,” said Webster.
Webster’s job at the Sport and Fitness Center is part of NECC’s Work Study program. These jobs are great for students who want to get hands on experience in whichever field they are pursuing. Some of Webster’s duties while working in the Sport and Fitness Center include helping students who come in to exercise, computer skills, cleaning the machinery and equipment and making sure everything is organized. “It’s kind of like what you would actually do in an actual fitness center outside of school,” said Webster.
“A lot of people had asked me to help them and help them understand how to do a proper work out,” Webster said. “It allowed a lot of people to connect actually, it’s a great environment. Working with the people is my favorite part, the fitness to me is a no judgment zone — so you do what you want, and work out the way you want, and it works without people judging you.”
Webster is also the pitcher on NECC’s softball team, and the Sport and Fitness Center and work study program help her prepare for the upcoming season. “I come to the gym to train harder, and be prepared for this upcoming softball season, because I’ll be pitching. The program has been building, so I’m hoping to get a lot more fans,” said Webster.
The Sport and Fitness Center is open to all students for free. Joe Murach, a Physical Education major goes to the gym “just to get stronger,” he said.
Students of all different majors and with all different goals take advantage of the Sport and Fitness Center too. Ernest Ewusi, a radiology major, said “I’m just working on my soccer and parkour skills.”
The Sport and Fitness Center’s regular hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There’s a Boot Camp offered on Wednesdays at 1 p.m., Functional Movement classes on Thursday at 11 a.m., at 11am on Thursdays, and Cardio Boxing on Tuesdays at 4 p.m.

Arts and Entertainment

Curtains close on ‘A Christmas Carol’

 

In spite of many obstacles, the final season of a Christmas Carol was beautifully executed by the cast and crew and I was glad to have had the opportunity to see it before it ended. This was the first year that I have seen the Christmas Carol here, though I have seen several other shows by the Top Notch Players and am always impressed with their work.
The audience that day included some of my own family members, a group of five young cousins, 13 year old Kailyn Martorilli and her younger sister Rachel from Waltham, siblings Nathan Allen and Ashley Lacatoure from Leominster and Faith Briere from Brockton. Every one of them enjoyed the show immensely and were sad to find out that we will not be able to make this show part of our family’s tradition.
The show was originally planned as a one time event, but it was so well received that a second year was added, then a third and so on.
For the past several years, each year was expected to be the “last”, according to Theater director Jim Murphy, who played a very believable and entertaining Scrooge.
The end of this show coincides with the retirement of professor and theater coordinator, Susan Sanders, who is planning to retire in May.
This Charles Dickens classic has been cleverly adapted to be portrayed with limited budget and limited space for set and costume changes, so it relies heavily on the quality of the acting itself.
With a cast and crew of over 40 people, including children, this production must have required a tremendous amount of skill to orchestrate. Given the limited space, cast members are required to enter and exit the theater through the main hallway in order to reach the offices and classrooms that are used as their dressing rooms.
The logistical obstacles faced in producing this event were nowhere in evidence during the show. It was performed in a manner that was professional and enjoyable to all.
Kailyn Martorilli recently participated in a reading of this story at her middle school so she had the invaluable experience of seeing first hand how a story can be adapted to achieve maximum impact on the audience, even when using minimal props or special effects. She and I really enjoyed the way that you can see the same story many times in so many different ways.
Lacatoure and R. Martorilli were both more impressed with the singing quartet comprised of bass Chip Bliss, soprano Hannah Heckman-McKenna, alto Alicia Bucchiere and tenor Christian Doyle.
These singers were brilliantly used to advance the show from one scene to the next, and the quality of their singing really held the attention of the audience. It was a pleasure to hear the way that their voices complimented each other and filled the theater.
Four year old Briere was a little frightened by the ghost of Marley, portrayed by John Budzyna, but was really stuck by Sarah Bird’s beauty as the Ghost of Christmas past.
11 year old Allen, who sat raptly through the entire show, only wanted to know, “Can we see the next show?”
I didn’t tell him the next show is the Vagina Monologues, followed by Avenue Q.
A recording of the show is available on youtube at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awcW2IcJ8uo or by using keywords “NECC, Christmas Carol.”

News

New Students get oriented to NECC

 

The spring new student orientation is held four times during winter break, with two sessions being held on the Haverhill campus and two on the Lawrence campus. The orientations are held so students know all that is offered on campus, from class information to counseling services.
Kadee Tapley, a programming assistant in the Student Engagement Center, said, “I think it’s important so the new students can see what resources are available to them. It also helps them to meet new students, so when they do start classes they have some friendly faces on campus.”
New students are often anxious about starting college and a new school. The students seem to relax a bit when they realize, that students who have experience on the NECC campuses are holding the orientation.
Joseph Meli, a communications student felt that because of the direct experiences of the student orientation leaders it made it more enjoyable Meli said, “It’s nice to hear it from students.”
The orientation starts out with an icebreaker called “Human Bingo.” The object is to get up and work the room and try to find fellow new students with qualities that relate to them on each others board.
Elfie Grusing, a general studies student and an orientation leader, said, “This is a great icebreaker as the bingo game progresses you can see the connections being built between the students.”
The students then come upon their very first pop quiz as college students. The pop quiz is meant to be fun and the table that answers the most questions correctly wins a prize. The quiz is basic NECC information, such as when classes start and where the campuses are located. It also goes over specifics on a syllabus, dates of finals, where the grading system be found, and professors contact information.
Orientation Leaders go over time management with a small exercise in which a volunteer from the orientation is handed a pile of cash.
The entire room gasps and wonders why they did not volunteer. The student is asked to count the money and let everyone know how much is there. The money totals $24, to signify 24 hours in a day.
The students are then asked about different activities they do throughout the day. When they are asked how long they sleep, work, prepare and eat meals or hang out with friends, they have to hand over that dollar amount. At the end the student ends up with no money left in their hand, but they do get a prize for participating.
Students also learn about things that are less exciting, but seemed to have generated the most questions such as, paying for college, requirements both in and out of the classroom and what to expect when you do not follow the student code of conduct.
Angelina Gard, an education major, said, “The orientation was pretty cool, I liked it a lot. They were very informative and it was very easy to get through.”
The students had a chance at the end to ask any questions they had. Meli said, “All the questions I had before I came to orientation were answered before I could even ask them. I feel ready to start school next week.”

Opinion

Are tattoos acceptable in the workplace?

 

Art has been around longer than any other human creation. From decorative hand axes to cave paintings, from the Renaissance to modern art to postmodern art and beyond, humans have always been driven to express themselves. Some like to paint or draw their art while others like to express their art on their body.
Tattoos have also been around for centuries. Tattoos are their own kind of art form, one that you can’t take down from your wall if you get tired looking at it.
The world is full of opinions, and when it comes to tattoos in the workplace you can expect both good and bad reactions.
In America we expect to get judged by our appearances, and I find it to be normal nowadays that when it comes to a job, if we don’t fit in to what the “norm” is, then our chances of getting hired are diminished.
I myself have four tattoos. I love every single one, and it is my way of expressing beauty. But my career path leads to a conventionally professional workplace — you don’t see many news anchors flaunting tattoos. For that reason, when I choose to get a tattoo, I hide it with clothes.
I can understand a boss not wanting to hire someone who has vulgar tattoos, but I don’t see the problem with showing of non-vulgar art.
For example surgeons, police, firefighters and EMTs are usually always covered up with their gear. These are people who save thousands of lives every single day. They should not be looked at differently because they have tattoos
The old saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” should always be in the back of your head before you judge someone.
Justin Guy of Lowell, Mass., had some things to say about this matter. “Simply put, tattoos do affect your chances of getting a job you want, if they are visible. It is seen as ‘unprofessional’ to have visible tattoos, no matter what it is,” Guy said.
“You also have to take into consideration where you work and what you’re trying to do. For example, I work at UPS as a supervisor. When I was a package sorter it didn’t matter whether I had tattoos or not, I’m not around customers so they could care less. But now that I have a supervisor position [so] I’m not allowed have tattoos that are visible — because, as I said earlier, they see it as ‘unprofessional.’
“But I do in fact have tattoos, that my work shirt covers up, so they can’t really say anything about it ‘cause its not visible.
“Moral to the story: get tattoos. Just be careful of the placement, and you can get any job you desire.”
Another student who has strong feelings about tattoo judgment is Jess Palmer of Haverhill, Mass.
(Disclosure: Jess Palmer worked for the NECC Observer from Fall 2012 to Fall 2013.)
When I first met Palmer the first thing I noticed was her strong personality. She’s such a sweet and caring girl, I came to find out one day that she has nine tattoos, and she is very proud to show them off.
Palmer says, “Although I am an advocate against stereotyping against tattoos, it’s the world we live in nowadays. People in a professional setting see tattoos as rebellious and could possibly make a bad name for their company.
“I think it’s ridiculous. Tattoos are pieces of art, but if you don’t cover them you could lose your job.
“Many workplaces make it a policy that employees cover their tattoos, and it’s sad quite honestly.
“Just because I have tattoos on my body doesn’t mean I am not educated or a well-rounded worker.
“I am ambitious, kind, and a leader but because I have tattoos I am labeled as inadequate.
“So yes, I do believe that having tattoos affects your chance of getting certain jobs when you are compared to someone who doesn’t have any tattoos or any visible ones. Do I agree with it? No. But that’s the world we live in.
“However, I am hopeful that at some point in our lifetime tattoos will become more acceptable in the workplace and society as a whole.”
Palmer has recently gotten into the photography business. One of her current projects is about tattoo stereotyping.
Palmer said, “As of December 2014, we decided that we wanted to capture photos of tattoos to help spread awareness of tattoo stereotyping.
“Many judge the art on the bodies of others because they are blind to see the stories they hold.
“Our goal here is to share those stories through artistic and tasteful black and white photos of these pieces of work.”
If you are interested in joining this project and stopping tattoo stereotyping please contact Jess Palmer at
jesspalmerphotography@gmail.com.

Editorial

Textbooks should be less expensive

 

It’s the start of a new semester, which means it’s time to take new classes, meet new teachers and purchase egregiously expensive textbooks.
In a country where politicians frequently claim to be supportive of education and making information available, it sure is difficult to afford the materials required to succeed in higher education.
So why are textbooks so expensive?
One of the reasons they are so expensive is that they’re mandatory. Professors assign specific texts, which students will need to succeed in the course, no matter what the price, and students buy or rent them because there’s often no other way to pass.
Students are what the Student Public Interest Research Group calls a “captive market,” as stated in their January 2014 report “Fixing the Broken Textbook Market: How Students Respond to High Textbook Costs and Demand Alternatives.” But it’s not just the necessity of textbooks that make them so expensive; it’s the textbook industry itself.
In the Student PIRG report on textbooks, the researchers said, “It is also important to note that just five textbook companies control more than 80% of the $8.8 billion publishing market, giving them near market monopoly and protecting them from serious competition.”
The textbook market is an oligopoly, or a market controlled by a small amount of sellers, and this gives them incredible power over how much students pay for their textbooks. There’s not enough competition to drive down textbook prices, and therefore they remain expensive.
But students are fighting back. It’s possible to cut costs by buying used books from secondary sources, by renting from other institutions (like the NECC Follett bookstore) or renting digital copies.
These options are still expensive, but less so than buying a new book. Other students often scan textbooks and put them on online sharing sites, which is illegal, but can often times be a saving grace for a student struggling to get by.
NECC is fighting back too. A textbook initiative involving some of the faculty and staff at NECC has been piloting classes that use several smaller, less expensive books as opposed to expensive tomes from major textbook publishing firms, or by using public domain documents and journalistic articles to supplement the course.
So unless the U.S. government decides to trust-bust the textbook industry or subsidize textbook purchases for the bulk of college students or make college and information free to everyone (somehow we doubt that will happen), we’re going to be struggling with this issue for a while.
Cost-cutting initiatives undertaken by individual institutions of education are going to be the most effective means to making knowledge affordable, and perhaps this pressure on the market from schools trying to help their students save money and students using alternative sources to major publishers will lower the cost of textbooks in the long-run.
Only time and innovative textbook cost-cutting school policies will tell.

Uncategorized

The NECC Observer is hiring

 

The NECC Observer is looking to hire a staff writer, preferably someone who would be willing to focus on Lawrence campus coverage, to join the team.
To be eligible, students must have taken or be currently taking Journalism 1.
Students who work for the NECC Observer receive a $300 stipend per semester spent working on the paper.
Students interested in applying should contact faculty advisor Mary Jo Shafer at mshafer@necc.mass.edu with a sample of writing for review.

Uncategorized

Ski and snowboarding trip available

 

The NECC atheletics department is offering a ski and snowboarding trip to NECC students.
The trip will be Sunday, Feb. 8 and students will be skiing Gunstock Mountain.
The cost of the trip, including transportation and lift tickets is $35. Students going on the trip may bring one 18+ guest for an additional $50.
Tickets are limited and will sell quickly. To purchase, please contact Maureen Saliba at msaliba@necc.mass.edu or stop by the Sport & Fitness Center, room 104.