Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

 

I’m a recent NECC alum, and I came back to campus a few weeks ago to visit some teachers and friends. When I was walking across campus with my friend to get to her class, I noticed the police recruits, who had just moved onto the NECC campus the year I graduated, were practicing combat routines on the quad in between B and C buildings.

 

I was alarmed that they were practicing these loud and disruptive activities in the proximity of classes, in a space where small children from the daycare center play and take walks, and in a space where students eat lunch and socialize.

 

The recruits should be practicing these loud routines far away from classrooms and students because they can be disruptive to a learning environment and can cause anxiety and panic attacks in students with conditions like general anxiety disorder, agoraphobia and PTSD.

 

I was also not pleased to find out that the recruits regularly book Lecture Hall A to the point where it is becoming very difficult for student clubs to use the room for academic meetings and events. Lecture Hall A is an important space for events, especially for the Liberal Arts, and the students at NECC should have priority.

 

I can only hope that Lane Glenn, David Gingerella and Bill Heineman will address the students’ concerns with respect and prompt action.

 

Sincerely,

Faith Gregory

Communications and Political Science Alumna

Former Editor-in-Chief of the NECC Observer

Former President of Contemporary Affairs Club

 

Goosebumps’ biggest scare: how much it insults the audience

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“Goosebumps” currently sits at 73% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. I am mystified. This movie somehow takes the dopey-fun formula of the 1995 Robin Williams comedy “Jumanji” and sucks out all likability. It should have been titled “Dumb, Pretty White People Running Away from Unconvincing CGI Monsters.” Ah, but then Sony couldn’t have benefited from a brand-name tie-in.

The movie’s opening, which must set some sort of record for nonchalant use of cliche, follows Zach Cooper (Dylan Minette) and mom Gale (Amy Ryan) as they … wait for it … move into their new house. Zach is mildly angsty because the fictional town of Madison, Delaware is lame, and because unpacking a box of things from his old house reminds him that his father died.

I say “mildly angsty” because Zach is less a character capable of feeling angst and more a repository for the sort of cool, distant sarcasm used by bad screenwriters in place of actual dialogue. That goes for the rest of the cast, too, including Hannah (Odeya Rush), the gorgeous girl next door, and Champ (Ryan Lee), the dorky kid at Zach’s new school that will inevitably become his comic foil. We know Champ is a dork the first time we see him because he is wearing a shirt that says “This Kid is Cool.” And because his teeth are sort of funny looking. And because his name is Champ.

But I digress. We sit through laborious opening scenes of Hannah placed in apparent mortal peril by her father. They’re laborious because we’ve seen the trailers, which reveal that her father is not some sort of disturbed child-abuser, but in fact “Goosebumps” author R.L. Stine (Jack Black). He has to prevent his secret collection of magical books from being opened, because they contain the monsters he created. Guess what Zach and Champ do in their attempt to rescue Hannah?

The premise, I’ll admit, is not a bad one. “Goosebumps” readers who have grown up can hardly be expected to remember the nitty-gritty details of Stine’s formulaic novels, but you can bet they remember the creatures: Slappy, The Blob That Ate Everyone, The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena. Unleashing these creatures on a small town leverages the same visceral satisfaction many viewers felt while watching “Jumanji,” where Robin Williams and friends became passive observers of suburban destruction.

But my mind raced ahead of the movie’s script, which offers few surprises and fewer laughs. Black is on auto-pilot here, delivering a sensationally unfunny and embarrassingly mannered performance as Stine. Why couldn’t the script explore his inspiration for these creatures? Why couldn’t we be offered a compelling explanation for their transition from fiction to reality?

No, the movie chooses to answer a different question instead: How much can we insult the intelligence of kids in the audience? In the name of “wholesome family entertainment,” the movie labors over tired, dated jokes: sexist ones, mostly originated by Jillian Bell as Zach’s aunt. She gives him a Bedazzled New York Yankees hat as a moving-in present, and you can almost hear the wah-wah music: “But auntie, this is a girl’s hat!” And when Champ makes the absurd mistake of asking Zach to attend a dance with him? Wah-wah-waaah: “Two boys, dance together?!”

The humor of Bell’s character is supposed to come from the fact that she’s incompetent at finding a man to date, ho ho. But don’t worry: every single character, including her, comes to be matched with a corresponding white mate at the end. Except Zach’s mom, but to be fair, they did write in a nice gym coach for her — it’s just that, like her dead husband, he’s forgotten by writers who couldn’t care less about Stine, his books or the kids who read them.

Veteran’s Day Celebrations at NECC

NECC will be celebrating Veteran and Military Appreciation Week from Nov. 9 to Nov. 12.

On Monday, there will be a panel of veterans answering questions about transitioning from military life to student life in TC103 and L244 at noon. This event is closed to faculty, staff and veterans.

“Darkness and Light,” a documentary focusing on post-9/11 veterans by Thi Linh Wernau, will be shown on the Haverhill campus Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Lecture Hall A. The Sports and Fitness Center will simultaneously be holding a basketball game to honor veterans. During the game, there will be a fundraiser for Operation Hat Trick, an organization that helps support wounded soldiers and their families. Veterans and military service members alike will be honored during halftime.

On Wednesday, the college will be closed in honor of service members past and present.

To wrap up Veteran and Military Appreciation Week, there will be a luncheon honoring student, faculty and staff veterans and military service members in TC103 from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday.

Anyone interested in attending the film or the luncheon should contact the Student Engagement Center at (978) 556‐3731 or engagement@necc.mass.edu to RSVP.

The Veteran Service Organization meets every other Monday at 5:30 p.m. in SC213 in Haverhill.

Clarification regarding Kenoza Street construction

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In the Oct. 7 issue, The Observer ran a News Byte stating that the “Kenoza Street entrance will be closed indefinitely.” This headline was confusing and misleading. Later that day, NECC Facilities Management sent an email stating, in part, that “The Kenoza Street entrance to the college will remain closed indefinitely.” This is incorrect. The entrance to Kenoza Street was closed from the Amesbury Road end, but the entrance to the college itself has not been affected at either the Technology Center parking lot, or the C Building lot entrances. The Observer takes responsibility for printing the misleading information that likely led to this mistake. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the confusion and felt that it merited clarification.

On Monday, Oct. 5, Kenoza Street was closed to traffic entering from Amesbury Road at the west, or northwest, end. A police officer was on duty ensuring that vehicles did not enter from that end and also detouring traffic coming from the southeast end around the utility crew that was working there. This was not the first day the road had been closed there. Several days the week before, students complained that it took several extra minutes to get to school due to the detour, and expressed curiosity about how long it would continue, prompting me to ask the officer on duty that day for information. The officer, whose name was not obtained, stated that the utility crew is scheduled to be on this job “indefinitely.” He explained that the crew will not rush, as they are working on a gas main, and that the work will continue “all the way down the street,” indicating that students should expect delays to continue.

While the road was closed for a few more days that week, the crew disappeared shortly afterwards, taking their detour with them. A large metal plate on the road, a few pieces of pipe and half a dozen orange cones were the only evidence left of the crew nearly two weeks.

Seeking clarification of what students should expect in the coming weeks, Observer staff contacted John Pettis, head of Haverhill DPW’s engineering department. In a telephone interview, Pettis stated that he contacted National Grid on our behalf and was told that they are replacing a regulator pit and approximately 40 – 50 feet of pipe. Crews were delayed while waiting for a part to be delivered but they were back on duty on Wednesday, Oct. 21 and the replacement part was expected to be delivered and installed on Friday, Oct. 23. National Grid was expected to continue working for two to three weeks from that date, with an additional week of road work to follow, meaning that the work will continue through the first half of November. The college entrances will not be affected, but traffic at this end of Kenoza Street will be delayed or diverted periodically during this time. Commuters who take this route should leave themselves extra time.

Andy Vargas Visits NECC

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Andy Vargas, 22-year-old candidate for Haverhill City Council, came to NECC on Friday, Oct. 23, to speak to a classroom filled with faculty and students.  Vargas ran against 14 other people in the election.  He spoke about the changes he plans on bringing to Haverhill if he is elected to City Council.  

“The City Council,” Vargas said, “is like Congress.”  Two things the Council does is make decisions involving budgeting and also on “zoning,” or what is going to be built where. The Council focuses on the goals for the city and improving the community growth.

“I’m a newcomer, a young guy, and I need to prove that I can do something for the city,” he said.

Vargas was raised with the mentality that after graduation, he wanted to go away to a big, exciting city.  One of the reasons he’s running for city council is because he doesn’t want kids in Haverhill to grow up wanting to leave the city.   A way of getting students more involved with their community would be through civic engagement.

“I want civic engagement to be a high school education requirement,” he said.  Since government affects almost every aspect of your life, Vargas is “trying to get people to understand that politics is for everybody.”

His goal is to try to get students involved in campaigns they care about and get hands on experience.  

Another plan he hopes to implement would be to change the way we are handling the heroin crisis in our city.  

“We’re just jailing people and expecting it to work,” he said.  “We need to confront this as a mental health issue.”

He used Gloucester as an example for how he thinks Haverhill should be treating the situation.  Gloucester is going to one of the roots of the problem, which is addiction.  Instead of treating people with heroin addictions as criminals, the police are treating it as a disease.  If people come to the police and say they need help, they will get help with a treatment program and will not get a criminal record.  Even if they walk in with the drugs on them, they will not be charged.  Last year, 72 people enrolled in it and more than half completed the treatment.  

Vargas also recognized how small the voter turnout has been in comparison to the number of people registered to vote.  To tackle this issue, he thinks we should make it easier for people to access information about the candidates and also market what the city does and can do for them.  Currently, the public has access to the minutes from the City Council meetings at http://www.cityofhaverhill.org/government/city_council/index and can actually watch the meetings at haverhillcommunitytv.org.  While it’s easy to find the names for the candidates online, it takes a bit more research to actually find out what each one represents and supports.

“We need to do a better job at marketing and informing people,” he said.

A practical way of providing the public with additional information on candidates, according to Vargas, would be to create a graph and put it on Facebook, because there is such a large number of people active on social media.  

NECC Bake Sales

NECC students, staff and faculty continue to show support for the community. In the spirit of Halloween, student organizations held bake sales on both the Lawrence and Haverhill campuses last week to raise money for charity.

The Community Outreach Group hosted their semi-annual bake sale in the Spurk lobby with proceeds going to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “We typically raise between $200 and $300 each time we have a bake sale,” said COG representative Lisa Pasho.

COG will be hosting their Winter Wonderland bake sale on Wednesday, Dec. 2, in the same location.

“We’re still figuring out who the money will go to,” said Pasho.

COG meets every Monday from noon to 1 p.m. in room C116 on the Haverhill campus and invites all students who would like to get involved in helping the community.

The Clinical Laboratory Sciences Club, along with faculty advisors Brenda Salinas and Stacy Ayotte, raised funds for the Bread and Roses Soup Kitchen during a double bake sale in the iHealth and Dimitry buildings on the Lawrence campus.

In addition to hosting a blood drive at Holy Family Hospital on Nov. 17 and 19, the CLSC will be conducting a food drive to benefit Bread and Roses and will place receptacles for non-perishable food items on both campuses through Nov. 20.

Adjunct Professors Receive Little Benefits

In Massachusetts, the number of full time employees is 1,400 statewide. Part-timers? 5,200 statewide. Adjunct professors teach about two-thirds of the classes taught at the state’s 15 community colleges. They are part-time employees, paid per class. They receive none of the same benefits as full-time employees, such as healthcare and retirement plans, for example.

 

Joe LeBlanc is a full-time professor at NECC and president of the Massachusetts Community College Council (MCCC). This union represents both the full time and adjunct professors, as well as other professional staff and faculty, at all 15 community colleges in the state.

 

LeBlanc said, “We have sued the state for that issue (medical coverage) and we did not win that suit. I think all health care ought to be free. A lot of it is driven by profit.” State law classifies the adjuncts as contract employees; therefore, the state is not required to provide them with health insurance. “I don’t agree with the law, but we have been working to change that law and the universal health care law we have now helped to an extent. They should have the same pension that I have. There could be some friction there between those that are purely part time, and they teach at two, three, four institutions just to pay the rent…”

 

“The percentage of adjuncts is pretty high. Twenty adjuncts could be four full time instructors. I would like to see more hope for those who want/need a permanent full time job with benefits,” Developmental Studies Adjunct Professor, Christopher Corcoran, said.

 

The practice of using adjuncts began as a way to allow working professionals to apply their knowledge in the classroom, but as the number of students increased, the number of full time teachers remained stagnant. The additional caseload was passed on to these part time employees.

 

“Right now it’s shrinking a bit, because our enrollments are dropping,” said LeBlanc. “Historically, during great times, everybody has work.”

 

Academic Preparation Adjunct, Kelly Boylan, adds that job security is often difficult because an adjunct’s course load is determined by student enrollment. “I strive to have a strong relationship with my students and put their needs first. As an adjunct, I don’t have an office, but I make myself available to my students.”

 

The result of this trend is that many adjunct professors are teaching a full caseload, sometimes even teaching multiple classes at multiple campuses.

 

“What’s even worse is the fact that ‘Jane Smith’ can work an entire career adjuncting and she will not have a pension and she does not have any way to retire unless she has a source of outside income or she inherits cash. If you choose to toil away in the trenches as an adjunct for your entire career (you) cannot afford to retire,” said LeBlanc.  

 

Corcoran explains the give-and-take of being an adjunct by showing what happens when classes get cancelled: “If we don’t continually teach, in time we lose certain benefits and our pay-scale is reduced. But we don’t get offered courses continually and consistently. So most of us need to have other jobs and often, when we do get offered courses, those courses conflict with those other jobs. Also, I am not sure of how it works with the seniority of adjuncts and who gets offered courses first. One colleague has taught eight adjunct courses!”

 

An Inside Higher Ed article by Colleen Flaherty earlier this year said “A common refrain from adjunct professors who get relatively low pay and little institutional support is that their working conditions are students’ learning conditions. But many colleges and universities continue to ignore that message and rely on part-time faculty to deliver the majority of instruction. A new paper is calling out those institutions for their lack of attention to faculty career designs and is demanding meaningful, collaborative discussions to address what it calls an existential threat to American higher education.”

 

“Part-time adjuncts who want full-time jobs should have more full-time opportunities available to them. Non-academic work could be combined with our  teaching duties to create full-time positions with contracts and healthcare. We don’t always have to be tenure-track professors with a private office. Just a full-time job would be nice. Yes, maybe we would be considered over-qualified to do clerical work, but I doubt we would turn it down in order to get a full-time, permanent, benefitted position. We have paid our dues!” said Corcoran.

 

Fairness for adjunct professors has become a hot-button issue between state lawmakers and advocates for change; specifically, The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) and the Massachusetts Community College Council (MCCC).

 

Jerome Fallon, Adjunct in Global Studies, said, “You only convene for 16 classes maximum so it is vital to get to know your students quickly. Reach people immediately on a personal and respectful level from the beginning. For me, it is not about me instructing the student  it is about us finding a way to succeed as a two person team. With 30 or so students, that’s 30 teams you need to try to create. It’s time consuming and requires effort but it also portrays to the student that you are committed.”

 

“The disadvantage is not getting classes that work with your other jobs, inconsistency with course availability, never getting to teach those courses that you love and are actually better suited for, losing the money we rely on, and the constant wonder if you will always be adjunct. But a big disadvantage to me is when students ask me at the end of the semester and even years later ‘What courses are you teaching next semester? What else can I take with you?’ It is sad that I can never answer them, and it breaks my heart,” said Corcoran.

 

“I think there are varied types of adjuncts so they cannot be stereotyped as one group. There are those who want to be involved in the school and students and those who just want to teach a course without further interaction. Each person has their own schedule and style of interaction,” said Mark Beaudry, an adjunct for the Department of Behavioral Sciences.

 

Fallon said, “I love being around the academic atmosphere. I enjoy the fact that people are trying to improve themselves through education and am genuinely grateful to be part of that process. A disadvantage is that I do not get to do it enough. I have decades of industry experience to share and would love to find other avenues besides the classroom to make that happen. With the help of the department staff, I’m starting to make some progress.”

 

Another glaring difference for an adjunct professor is their lack of accessibility for students who may be seeking extra help. Full time professors also serve as advisers and they have the opportunity to develop a bond with students. The MTA website states that, “Higher ed faculty members see this as a significant issue because establishing such connections can contribute to long-term success — and at times may determine whether a student remains in school.”

 

Angel Baez, a 20 year old Liberal Arts Major, said,  “Limited office hours hurt students ability to flourish and get the help they need to do so. A lot of adjunct professors have a lengthy commute, and therefore limits their time on campus. Which in turn reduces or eliminates their office hours due to the excessive inconvenience.”

 

Technology is a definite aid to adjuncts with little office time. Corcoran said, “I do believe adjuncts are able to give a more personal level of detail because we simply have less students. I feel I can get closer to them because I can spend more time with each one in and out of the classroom, can get to know them, their purpose, goals and reason for being there and how that relates to the course I am teaching. I can answer emails with more detail, and discuss with them in person before and after class with a little more ease. As a core subject instructor, I simply have more time to explain where my course falls in the real world, their formal education, and why it is so important to finish it. Even if they hate every minute of it.”

 

“Holding office hours is a little difficult when I have to travel between the two campuses with only a short amount of time between classes. I often will arrive before class when possible or stay later when necessary.” said Boylan.

 

“I feel that adjuncts have much passion about their discipline and share their entire life experience with students, which provides a true global perspective. So, they should be compensated based on the education, experience and creative development skills that they bring to the classroom. Because I bring international experience and a theoretical perspective to the classroom, students have an appreciation for the real concepts being taught,” said Beaudry.

 

“I am just as much a student in my classroom as the students are (but) in different ways. It’s a cliche, but I do learn a lot from them,” said Corcoran. “My role is to facilitate the interchange of ideas, and make them comfortable in doing so and to make them understand the value in those ideas and how to apply them in the outside world.

 

All of this is not to say that college campuses are the only place where employees are exploited. On the contrary, there are quite a few industries that rely on sub-contractors to do much of the work, but the inequality between the adjunct professors and the full-time, union protected faculty is undeniable and is likely to remain that status quo for the foreseeable future.

 

In 2009, the MTA, the MCCC and five professors, including NECC professor Patrick Lochelt, filed suit against the state seeking health insurance coverage for adjunct professors, but they were unsuccessful. Health insurance costs are soaring throughout the country but it is particularly noteworthy in Massachusetts, where health insurance is mandatory. This forces the adjunct professors to make hard budgeting decisions that can negatively impact their quality of life.

 

Fallon said, “Having access to healthcare would be great, but it does not look like it is going to happen.  I know the union is working diligently on behalf of all faculty and I confess to not knowing as much as I should about the negotiations. It’s probably best that I do not comment on things I do not know anything about, unlike some presidential candidates.”

 

“Healthcare is a nightmare. But adjuncts do have an office! I call it the ‘Dorm-Office,’ as it is like a quad in that it has many desks. No parties though. Or none that I have been invited to,” Corcoran said. “I have often said that if we really figured out our true hourly wage, we would be better off at Walmart with healthcare and a set schedule. I think the hardest part is coming to the realization that it is what it is, and will probably always be so.”

 

According to Fallon, one improvement might be to have additional training options available for IT topics for adjuncts. “I get great support when I call in to the tech groups, but it would be ideal if there was someone there at night who I could visit to learn the nuances.” said Fallon.

 

“They (the part-time instructors) are going to get a 4 percent raise in January. It’s up to the college to pay that 4 percent raise, but I’ll also say that the part-time instructors here are largely a cash cow in that you only have to have eight or nine in a class to pay the paycheck of that instructor,” LeBlanc said.

 

He said that he would like to think that there isn’t any friction between the full and part timers, but that they live a precarious life where they can never really guarantee what their income will be, because when budgets are cut, the adjunct contracts are the first to go.

 

“These are a couple of points of great shame, I think. This state, with its reputation of having great higher ed, has this underclass of workers that they choose to exploit and it needs to end,” said LeBlanc.

Seasonal Depression

With half of the fall semester gone and winter fast approaching, NECC students may find the “winter blues” hard to avoid.

According to the American Psychological Association, Seasonal Affective Disorder is estimated to affect ten million Americans and is more common in women. SAD usually starts to set in around daylight savings time and continues until spring. The decrease in daylight can cause a wide range of symptoms that lead to a depressed mood.

Also, spending more time indoors can bring on feelings of boredom, agitation in relationships and feelings of hopelessness. Unfortunately, in severe cases of SAD, the affected individual can have thoughts of suicide.

Jetting off to a tropical locale would be a surefire way to ease symptoms of SAD. Of course, with the cost of living and tuition on a constant rise, college students have to rely on more practical regimens for keeping their spirits up.

“Tanning salon, all year for some vitamin D,” said NECC student Rhiannon Hardy. “I look better and it increases my mood.”

Psychology Today suggests that spending time with friends and family is crucial to one’s emotional well-being. Even snuggling with your dog or cat can help ease depression.

“I like dressing my cats in costumes and posting the pics on Facebook,” said Melissa Dow of Amesbury.

Although these methods have been proven to help in low to moderate cases of SAD. However, severe symptoms may be harder to treat without the use of therapy or medications.

Students who wish to seek professional help with SAD are encouraged to visit NECC’s Counseling Services office for assistance: on the Haverhill Campus, Room D117 in the Sports and Fitness Center; on the Lawrence Campus, Room L115 in the John R. Dimitry Building.

 

Starfish Update

NECC is one step closer to naming the mascot of the Early Success Starfish Program. After weeks of collecting submissions for the Name the Starfish contest, the Student Success Center sent out an email asking that each student cast their vote between Oct. 28 and Nov. 3 for one of the six finalists. The finalists were:

  • Dazzle
  • Stellar
  • Jefferson
  • Sparkle
  • Journey
  • Johnny Blue Fins

Be sure to check the Observer’s Nov. 18 issue to find out who won the contest and received a bag of prizes and gift cards.

Chris Nowinski Speaks at NECC

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On Oct. 21 in the Hartleb Technology Center, Christopher Nowinski, a former Harvard football player, pro wrestler, NFLPA advisor and author, spoke to about 100 people about the severity of concussions and head injuries.

Nowinski, author of the book “Head Games” and founder of the Concussion Foundation, handed out pamphlets and sheets on how to prevent head injuries. Different sheets were prepared for parents, coaches and athletes, filled with the actual definition of a concussion, symptoms of a concussion, and what to do in the event of a concussion.

Head injuries and concussions hit home with Nowinski because he suffered a severe concussion that put him out of sports forever.

Concussions in professional sports have been a hot-button topic for the past few years, more specifically in the NFL and the NHL. The fast, hard-hitting games put all players at risk of a career-ending injury. These concussions in the long term can also lead to death or suicide.

In 2012, longtime NFL linebacker Junior Seau succumbed to his long-term brain injury and took his own life, shooting himself in the chest. Seau suffered a type of chronic brain damage known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This type of brain damage has been found in other deceased NFL players.

Nowinski now goes around the country speaking to different groups, talking about the importance of concussion education.

The “Team Up” program gives training sessions to educators and coaches, who can then teach the lessons locally.

“It became a concerning thing for me, which I found educational, because this year alone I’ve had 2 kids with concussions,” said Darren Stratton, the coach of the NECC basketball team. Stratton brought his whole team to the presentation so they could learn about the severity of head injuries as well.

“I think Chris and his department are doing an excellent job, presenting and making awareness about it,” Stratton said.

“Heads Up” is an extension of the Concussion Foundation specially made for youth athletes, coaches, and parents. It highlights that concussions can happen at any age and can affect you for the rest of your life if not treated properly.

Jack Roy, a coach in the Haverhill Junior Football League, was in the crowd and related the presentation to his youth football players.

“It is extremely important for coaches at all levels to understand what is at stake here, the kids’ safety and overall health. We, as coaches, are on the front lines and must take charge in educating the players and the parents. This is a serious issue that must be dealt with.”

Roy also enjoyed Nowinski’s speech.

“He did a great job. I wish we could have had another hour or two more to discuss his programs and the research. Who better to talk about this issue than someone with his experience?” Roy said.

Katherine Regus was critiquing Nowinski’s presentation for her Business Communications class and was impressed.

“I have to say that I really liked it, he was direct and he went straight to the point,” Regus said. “He engaged with the audience very well trying to ask questions related to situations that involved the athletes that were sitting there.”

Chris Nowinski’s presentation was the first of four STEM Series presentations at NECC.

To find out more on brain injuries and Nowinski, visit www.ConcussionFoundation.org.