Monthly Archives: January 2019

Arts and Entertainment

Ariana Grande “Rings” in the new year

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Students weigh in on singer’s record breaking hits

Singer-Songwriter, 2019 women of the year award and an artist who peaked #1 seven weeks on Billboard 100 Ariana Grande has made the nation go wild for her. With her two trending songs “Thank U, next” that came out November 2018 and “7 Rings” just released Jan. 18, a poll was distributed on my Instgram asking which song NECC students would rather listen to.  Several students favored “Thank U, next” although one student prefererd “7 Rings”

“Thank U, Next” addresses  Grande’s ex-boyfriends and promoting self-love and her new relationship towards herself. “7 Rings” is about friendships but both songs give off the same energy and vibe from one another.  Victoria Gladstone a criminal justice major who always keeps it 100%  preferred  Thank U, next.:

“This one makes me cry so it brings a lot of emotion out,” said Gladstone. Grande has grown significantly since her Victorious days as Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon, from starring in a musical to being the center of a tragedy, to performing for a student organization “March for Our Lives” in support of gun control to coming out of a social media hiatus through tweets for her single “No tears left to cry” in April of 2018.  As Grande grew so did her fans from NECC.  Dog mom Sophia Marcus has also preferred “Thank U, Next”  Through her women empowerment Grande has made it known women can take control of their lives from gracing us with “God is a women” in her latest album “Sweetener.”

Photo of Ariana Grande with purple lighting
Ariana Grande in the music video “7 Rings” Photo by @Ariangrande on Instagram

“I love how she stands up for women’s rights and is a good example for all women” saidMarcus. With all songs having a meaning behind them there’s no exception when it comes to Grande. While  Grande has battled through anxiety and the suicide bombing after performing her 2017 Dangerous Woman tour in Manchester, UK, “Get Well Soon” is the last track on her Sweetener album. Its duration is 5 minutes and 22 seconds reframing it back to the date of the tragedy. Grande’s songs have been relatable to students lives, “Thank U, next is definitely relatable, I love the thought of acknowledging your past and appreciating how it affected you” said Marcus.

Sallay Thulla preferred “7 Rings.” She loved the idea of friendship and the story behind how Grande bought her and her six friends matching Tiffany’s rings. “7 Rings is a spin-off of “The Sound of Music” which makes the song so catchy and I hope my friend can buy me a Tiffany ring for our friendship,” laughed Thulla.

With “7 Rings “ just launching the singer recently came under fire with associations for cultural appropriation. The lyrics “ You like my hair? Gee, thanks, just bought it’ sparked some controversy through misunderstanding “weaves.”

Thulla saw both perspectives, “Because I am African American, women used to be made fun of wearing weaves but now different races are starting to wear them and not be judged.” said Thulla. Through Ariana’s awareness of her comment in the “Shade room,” she came to apologize and mentioned she had no intention of hurting anyone.

After conducting a survey it would seem that Grande’s music resonates with many students of NECC, Marcus suggested putting on videos to let her fans from NECC know how much she means to her. Gladstone suggested lip-synch battles and possibly inviting her to the college, while Thulla mentioned hosting events featuring Ariana Grande music to bring the community together. “We can have a karaoke night with her music and prizes that feature her merchandise or even concert tickets” explained Thulla.

Campus Life

Student Life hosts Welcome Week

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There and back again … A fresh start to the new year and semester

A plastic foldable table with prices of paper and other items on it. The stable has a pice of paper taped to it that has necc's logo and reads general information.
A General Information stand at the Spurk Building, providing helpful resources and services Photo by Aaron Lehner
close up photo of a plastic table with prices of paper, a map and other items on it.
A welcome Week table set up at the Riverwalk Campus with lots of giveaways. Photo by Aaron Lehner

The start of the new semester can be a time of difficulty for students both old and new; what with having to adjust to new schedules, new classes, or not seeing the friends you used to. But at the beginning of every semester, the Student Life Department puts together Welcome Week.

Welcome Week is done in the fall and in the spring, and is a vital time to reach new and returning students to teach them about the college, introduce any new additions or changes, and to help them connect to their peers, faculty, and staff.

“I vision welcome week to be packed with events and activities hosted at various times of the day and evening by all different offices and departments that allow students to have fun, learn, and connect with others. It is important to me that students feel included and have a sense of belonging while attending NECC.” says Stephanie Haskell, Coordinator of Student Activities.

Haskell was hired this spring as the new Coordinator of Activities and Leadership and Social Justice Initiatives. She has only been at the college since last fall, but is still determined to make Welcome Week the best it can be. Haskell says that the benefits of it seem endless.

“My goal is that every student that attends NECC makes friends on campus and has at least one faculty or staff member that they like and trust and that they can go to whenever they need.” says Haskell.

Faculty and staff are crucial for giving information and making connections, but the student workers are also just as important. The Student Life Department is home to the New Student Advocates (NSA), a group of students that are employed by NECC to be a guiding spirit and resource to the new students on campus. For a student such as Susan Pesaturo, a Sleep Technology major and NSA, it is important for students to know that there are people like them who want to help them.

“I am an older student who returned to college after many years so I may be an example of students who have had previous careers and are here at NECC for a change of careers or additional education. But I think I can be a good resource to all students, especially now that I have been an NSA over eight months.” says Pesaturo.

“NECC is structured to provide many resources for students to give them every opportunity to succeed not only in a class but in their entire time at NECC and beyond.”
 – Susan Pesaturo, New Student Advcate

The NSAs can be any place on campus to support the activities of Student Life.  They participate in planning and working events, orientations, farmers market, special events, reaching out and as a resource to students. Haskell believes that creating a relationship between mentor and student is beneficial but only if a relationship is built upon trust, expectations, and understanding.

“For staff and faculty that supervise students it can be a lot of extra work, especially if the students have never had a job before, or if students get too comfortable and slack off, or take a lot time to do a task that should not take long.” says Haskell.

“NECC is structured to provide many resources for student give them every opportunity to succeed not only in a class but in their entire time at NECC and beyond.” says Pesaturo. The Student Life Department is currently hiring for both NSAs and Work Study positions. The requirements for both include attendance of NECC for one year, a 2.5 GPA, strong communication skills, and a passion for the school.

Haskell says that by being apart of Student Life, students can gain job experience, work as a team, network, and be able to use their own experiences to aid others. “I learn a lot from Work Study and NSA’s in Student Life and I appreciate that they are [also] willing to help me.” she says. For more information about the Student Life positions, you can contact Stephanie Haskell in SC215 at (978) 556-3279 or shaskell@necc.mass.edu.

Editor’s Note: Aaron Lehner is a New Student Advocate at NECC.

Sports

NECC to showcase sports

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Open House will allow opportunity to meet with coaches, athletes

Northern Essex Community College is holding its first athletics open house on Tuesday, February 19, from 4:30 to 6 p.m., followed by a home men’s basketball game.  Prospective and current students will have the opportunity to meet with coaches and student athletes.

This event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Lecture Hall A in the Spurk Building on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott St. Northern Essex supports 13 sports teams including baseball, men and women’s basketball, men and women’s cross country, men’s soccer, men and women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, men and women’s golf and men and women’s Esports. Additional information can be found on the NECC athletic website.

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Athletics Open House will be held Tuesday, Feb. 19 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

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“Our hope is to showcase our numerous athletic programs for current and future students so they can see everything we have to offer,” said Dan Blair, NECC’s director of athletics and recreation. The evening will open with a welcome at 4:30 p.m. followed by speakers from the admissions and financial aid offices. There will be breakout session with coaches and current NECC student-athletes. At 6 p.m. attendees are invited to walk to the Sport and Fitness Center to watch the basketball game. Light refreshments will be served.

For additional information, contact Blair at 978-556-3820 or email him at dblair@necc.mass.edu

Sports

Bruins and Celtics: Make or Break

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Both teams are above .500

Boston’s Celtics and Bruins are starting to produce, after having a rough start of the season. Both teams are above .500. And both teams have lost 10 games. Each team has time since the half-way point isn’t until next year in January. Last season they made it to the playoffs but were eliminated in the end. This two are the minor teams compared to the Red Sox and the Patriots, though they have each raised a banner in the 2000’s. They have the potential to raise more, their team chemistry is off the charts, but they are unable to perform.

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It’s a new season we must watch what happens in the end.

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The Celtics are 15-10 and are sitting in fifth in the Eastern Conference, you would think that with the departure of Lebron James to the Western Conference it would make the Celtics the top dog. With their recent win streak, they are moving up in the standings and they have begun outscoring their opponents with a hefty margin. Recently they beat the Chicago bulls 133-77. Through previous games they have scored more than 100 points which is something you at least should accomplish if you want to win games in the NBA. Their starting five is one big unit, their motto is that they don’t have one superstar, the whole team is the superstar. In recent games Gordon Hayward has been coming off the bench and has been performing. To win championships your starting five and bench need to make big plays. The team has a rough schedule the next coming weeks but I’m sure they will produce.

Playing in the city of Boston is tough, than fans like myself expect you to win games.

The Bruins have had a tough year, they lost one of the best goaltender in the NHL to a family matter and they were losing games, but once Tuukka returned he was out performing but his defense wasn’t contributing, plenty of the defenseman went down to injury, (Charlie McAvoy, Zdeno Chara, Kevan Miller, etc.). It also doesn’t help that they traded away Adam Mcquaid to their rivals the New York Rangers. The team is eleven points behind the leader the Tampa Bay Lightning, but in recent games they have a nice little streak of two previously beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 and the Ottawa Senators 2-1 in overtime. If this team wants to make a heavy playoff push this year they must show it, they have to have their young skaters produce because they can’t keep relying on Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara.

It’s December and for the NBA and NHL this is the spot where everything gets tough for the teams, each team has a young core that must produce because during this part of the season this is where you make it or you break it. Playing in the city of Boston is tough, the fans like myself expect you to win games, hence the name “City of Champions”. It’s a new season and we must watch what happens in the end.

Sports

eSports program to debut

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Varsity eSports team coming to NECC in 2019

NECC will have a varsity eSports program for the first time. The eSports team will be joining the athletic programs for the 2019-20 academic year.  ESports are a multiplayer video game played competitively for spectators, typically by professional gamers.  Other colleges already have joined the eSports mania and are offering scholarships for their varsity eSports team. NECC will be competing against other colleges and universities, join eSsports tournaments/championships in large arenas and participate in  other events regarding eSports. Dan Blair, Director of Athletics said, “We are excited to get in the action of eSports and to provide it for interested students.”

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I would definitely join, I haven’t really tried gaming tournament

–Jason Batista

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Interested students can join or apply online and fill out a form or by going to the Athletics Department.  As of now there is not a limit on how many students can join the eSports team;  Blair said “there is no limit, as of now we have an open roster” Blair also added that the amount of players allowed to play at the same time in a team depends on the game, “sometimes games can have four player or eight players in a team” Blair said.  According to a press release, NECC alum and nationally ranked Fortnite gamer RJ Warnock will lead the eSports program as its first coach. 

Warnock, of North Reading, played baseball for Northern Essex before transferring in 2013, the press release said.  eSports has one of the fastest growing fan bases in pro sports.  eSports are estimated to make 276 million dollars by the year 2022. Alfredo Tejada 20, said he did not know NECC was making a varsity eSports team, but would be interested in trying it out. Tejada said “I like to play video games, but I don’t have the time, I am not one that goes home and starts playing games. I like to play 2K, if that was an option, I would be really interested in joining.”

like to play video games, but I don’t have the time, I am not one that goes home and starts playing games. – Alfredo Tejada

Jason Batista 24 said “Yes! I would definitely join, I haven’t really tried gaming tournament wise, so I would definitely join for that experience, and to connect with people that share a common interest in gaming like me. “I feel like not a lot of people are able to connect in college because we are just going classroom to classroom, and I would join it for that reason as well.” For more information visit the Athletci Department or vist the department’s website at www.neccknights.com.