Daily Archives: February 13, 2019

Campus Life

LGBTQ Holocaust Remembrance

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The Gender & Sexuality Alliance present crucial lost history to NECC

International Holocaust Remembrance Day was celebrated on Sunday, Jan 27 this year, commemorating those who lost their lives during the Holocaust in World War II.  This year the Gender and Sexuality Alliance club at NECC presented their own take on this with the LGBTQ Holocaust Remembrance on Wednesday Feb 6. The GSA meets every Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in room C104.

“GSA strives to bring acceptance, educate, give support, advocate for the queer community and its allies regardless of gender and sexuality. [It is] a safe

chart showing different german prisoner markings, the pink one was for homosexual prisoners
German Concentration camp prisoner markings. The pink triangle was used for homosexual prisoners Photo by thepinktriangle.com

and progressive space.” says GSA President Colby Patrie. Patrie has been the president of the club for three years, and does many of the presentations covering a wide variety of LGBTQ subjects. This time he covered the history of the LGBTQ community in World War II and how they faced ridicule, prejudice, and imprisonment by the Nazi Party.

The erasure of LGBTQ culture began in Berlin in 1933 where the Institute of Sexology, founded by Magnus Hirschfeld (1868-1935), was attacked by Nazi Youth and about 20,000 books and journals were destroyed, as well as 5,000 photos. With the revision of Paragraph 175 of the German Criminal Code that made homosexual encounters between men illegal, this made the LGBTQ community extremely vulnerable.

The persecution of homosexuals began with the murder of Ernst Röhm (1887-1934). He was a close friend to Adolf Hitler and was openly gay. However there were rumors being spread about them that they were gay, and that Rohm was attempting to overthrow Hitler. Röhm was described as a “hard macho” gay and despised the effeminate gays. After he was killed, Hitler used Röhm’s sexuality as justification to send homosexuals to concentration camps. Also because they could not reproduce, gay men were seen against the plan to create a “master race.”

Between 1935 and 1945 an estimated 100,000 homosexual men were arrested. Between 5,000 and 15,000 were confined to concentration camps after about 50,000 were convicted and sent to prisons. Homosexuals were identified with a pink triangle on their uniforms.

Until 2002, homosexual concentration camp prisoners were not recognized as victims; they were put on sex offender lists just for their sexual orientation. An apology was addressed that year by the German government. Since then there have been memorials placed around the world honoring the homosexuals who lost their lives in the Holocaust. There have been memoirs and plays written by survivors such as “Bent” by Martin Sherman. The documentary “Paragraph 175” shows historian Klaus Müller interviewing several survivors of the persecution of homosexuals.

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“Every student comes into college knowing what the holocaust was, and having a general idea that it included persecution and genocide of Jewish people….but few are aware that other groups were included in this genocide, including LGBTQ people.”
– Kristi Arford

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“I wanted to educate people that the Holocaust wasn’t just about Jewish people; gays were also persecuted even after the liberation and not many people know that. I didn’t even know they were a part of it until a few years ago,” says Patrie.

Throughout the presentation, students reported that when learning about the Holocaust in high school or before, they were not aware that the Nazis also imprisoned people in the LGBTQ community. “In sophomore year of high school I learned in depth about concentration camps, but I didn’t know it affected anyone [else] besides the Jews.” says Kaily Burke, a student and member of GSA.

So what could this mean about the way history and the LGBTQ community have been represented? A large part of it could be blamed on historical censorship. The students at the presentation discussed and agreed that the education system in the United States has actively deterred its students from learning about anything LGBTQ related, its history, and figures. The saying, “History is written by the winners” here is no cliche, as today’s internet uncovers the obscure facts that the victors tried to erase. Kristi Arford, Anthropology Professor and GSA Adviser, said that during college in the 1990’s was when she learned that the LGBTQ community were victims in the Holocaust.

A slideshow, showing the LBGTQ flag with a pink triangle
The opening slide to the presentation, honoring the LGBTQ lives lost in World War II Photo by Aaron Lehner

“I think the lack of awareness [seen] at the Holocaust presentation clearly indicates a need for high schools and colleges incorporate these topics into the curriculum! Every student comes into college knowing what the Holocaust was, and having a general idea that it included persecution and genocide of Jewish people….but few are aware that other groups were included in this genocide, including LGBTQ people,” says Arford.

From speculation of historical figures to analyzing documents and stories, this topic alone could have its own article. Arford says that the main trouble with spreading this information is the lack of attendance in these kind of presentations. “I think it’s important for faculty to encourage students to attend these presentations. Often requiring students to go and/or offering incentives like bonus points is the only way to actually get students to attend, unfortunately. Hopefully we faculty can work together to find ways to encourage greater attendance to these events, or even to incorporate these topics into our courses!” says Arford.

The GSA has other events planned within the month to present more topics within the LGBTQ community. Their next presentation is about self love. Topics such as accepting oneself, how to watch out for red flags in a relationship, and open discussion about what people like about each other what they would want to change will be addressed.

There will also be a presentation about Queer Black History at the end of February to celebrate Black History Month.

For more information about the GSA and its events, you can contact club advisers Kristi Arford (karford@necc.mass.edu) or Lisette Espinoza (lespinoza@necc.mass.edu).

 

Features

A look into Lucky’s

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Food vendor came to NECC in August 2018

Lucky’s Pizza and Pasta at the Haverhill campus offers a wide variety of food and beverage options for students and staff. Open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Lucky’s is located on the first floor in the C Building, room C-111. Lucky’s came to NECC in August 2018 after a few previous companies had residence of the popular cafe spot. The captain of the ship is Melissa Merrill, who has been the manager-on-site for 10 years. With her co-captain, Joey Hopkins, the two serve students and staff delicious foods with a smile everyday.

Merrill enjoys the interactions she has with customers, she says “I think the students are wonderful, I truly have no complaints.” The atmosphere of Lucky’s is quite inviting, with large east facing windows that allow beautiful morning light to greet each day. The space is large and open with “foodie” wall decor and beautiful succulent plants sprinkled throughout the room. The majority of students are on campus during the morning hours, so Lucky’s breakfast menu is quite extensive.

It is of course the most important meal of the day. Quick breakfast snacks include fruit cups, muffins, bagels, english muffins, apples, protein bars and yogurt cups. Egg and cheese sandwiches on bagels and english muffins are popular items (bacon or sausage can be added). Or try “The Lucky Breakfast”: scrambled eggs, sausage links, bacon, and home fries (all items could be ordered individually).

The south wall has all refrigerated foods and drinks, with an item and price menu hanging above. Drink options include apple and orange juice, milk and chocolate milk, sodas like Coke, Sprite, Ginger Ale, and Sunkist, and energy drinks like Powerade Zero and Monsters. Some of the cold food options include garden and caesar salads, and Italian and buffalo chicken sandwiches.

Lucky’s is open to taking suggestions from students and staff. Business major, Freddy, thinks they should carry all the flavors of Mt. Dew, “the blue one in particular” he says. Notice a handwritten “date of preparation ” on the packages of the fresh foods Lucky’s offers, this indicates the day the items are prepared. But no need to worry, these refrigerated foods are prepared fresh daily, and are donated to The Emmaus House Donation Center the next day if they are not purchased, according to Hopkins.

In the middle of the room there is a buffet style “grab-and-go” hot bar. These hot items include french fries, chicken fingers, hamburgers, pasta dishes, pizza by the slice, and “Lucky’s Daily Special,” which on a recent visit was sweet Italian sausages with peppers and onions.

Like the refrigerated foods, these hot food items are prepared fresh daily and are donated the next day if they are not purchased., with “date of preparation” written on their packaging as well. At the end of the hot bar is the cash register, with great candy and chip selections like Fritos, Doritos and Hot Cheetos.

Many of these hot and cold fresh food items are prepared off-site by cooks employed by Lucky’s, but Merrill says she  would actually enjoy more in house cooking. She says “If the space allows, I’d like to cook on site. I prefer it rather than pre-made foods.” They have a few appliances behind the counter to heat and toast foods, but larger appliances like a flat top grill could allow for more foods to be made in house.

And for the coffee and tea lovers out there, New England Coffee distributes their array of hot and iced beverages to Lucky’s. The entire west wall is dedicated to New England Coffee options. There’s a hot chocolate machine, freshly brewed lemonades and fruit punches, an iced coffee station, brewed coffees with exciting flavors like French Vanilla, Gingerbread Cookie, San Francisco Dark Roast and Breakfast Blend, finishing with an assortment of green and black teas at the end.

Andrew Venditti, journalism major, says “I like the San Francisco Dark Roast. I’ll get a cup every so often, it’s pretty convenient.” Communications major Brennan Cooney, editor-in-chief of the NECC Observer, says he  prefers anything that isn’t decaf. He jokes “I need an IV drip of coffee so I like whatever Lucky’s has to offer.”

When Lucky’s Pizza and Pasta replaced the former cafe, unfortunately some items left with the company, too. Human services major, Natalie, misses the pudding that was offered. Natalie says “They were really good, but once the switch happened, they took them away.” She’d like to see Lucky’s bring them back. Merrill says “I’ve seen three changes in ownership since I started here 10 years ago.”

Corporate Chef and Nexdine were the two previous employers, but something just seems right about Lucky’s Pizza and Pasta residing at NECC. However, one thing remains a constant issue with Lucky’s, students say – their hours of operation. Although the majority of students are on campus in the morning, many attend night courses and are at the school well into the evening dinner hours. Lucky’s is open from 7  a.m. to 2 p.m., so students who are on campus later than 2 p.m. don’t have acces to Lucky’s offerings.

Melinda, Natalie’s PCA, would like Lucky’s to adjust their hours of operation, as Natalie has classes until 6 p.m. Melinda says “We’re here past 6 p.m. so we have to plan accordingly. It makes sense why they accommodate the morning hours, but we’d like them to stay open for students later in the day.” Attached to Lucky’s is a large dining room with high and low tables to accommodate all. Room C-109, this break room is perfect to enjoy a meal or as just a place to relax in between classes. With a television, vending machines, books and magazines, it’s a popular hang out spot, with great people watching through the large windows, too!

Features

NECC fights food insecurity

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Multiple initiatives hope to help students

Northern Essex Community College has taken initiatives this spring semester in hopes of reducing “food insecurity” among their students. Along with the “monthly mobile farmers market” which allows students to get free and fresh produce, they also offer  “pop-up” stations throughout campus that will allow students to go and make a sandwich whenever they’d like. According to an email announcement that was sent out on February 5, the stations will be located in most of the academic and advising centers on campus.

The email also specifies that students may request “gluten free bread and nut free spread.” NECC will also be introducing “Smart Meals,” which allows students to receive a “single serving deep frozen meal that students can sign out and microwave.” Students will be able to go to the Welcome Desk in Haverhill’s Student Center or in El Hefni in Lawrence and request a meal. Many students on campus shared their thoughts and opinions about these initiatives on campus and their eating habits throughout the semester.

Susan Elias, 20, Graphic Design major shared that she hasn’t purchased anything from the Lucky’s Cafe on campus but she probably will in the near future. Elias said, “I haven’t gotten around to going because I usually have long breaks in between classes so I tend to go home and eat instead of staying on campus and grabbing something here.”

She also expressed that she very rarely brings snacks or purchases things from the vending machines and “just recently found out that the farmers market is free here at NECC.” Elias was not aware of the new initiatives and says, “I think it’s great that the school is providing these options. There’s probably some people who struggle to find a meal or go a long time without eating due to back to back classes so I think many will appreciate this.”

Samantha Walkowicz, is a 20 year old Psychology major at NECC. She says she’s eaten at the cafe, but doesn’t “eat there often” because she’s usually not on campus for long.  She also has never used the vending machines and doesn’t bring snacks with her. Walkowicz says, “ I did not know about and have never been to the farmers market at NECC,” she said.  Walkowicz was among many students who were unaware about the PB&J pop-ups.

“I was not aware of the initiative for student food insecurity but I think it is great that NECC is providing access to more food on campus,” she said. Soleidi Aragones, 19, is a Criminal Justice Major. She shared that she’s eaten at Lucky’s once and typically buys food at the bookstore. Aragones says she brings snacks to school on a regular basis and uses the vending machines often.

Aragones was also unaware of the free farmers markets and has never attended one. She didn’t know about NECC’s food insecurity initiatives and says, “I think these are great ideas. We as students sometimes don’t even have time to eat, or bring lunch to school, especially if we’re on campus.” Not only will Northern Essex be providing more access to free food, with these station, they continue to provide free food at meetings and events.

On February 13, from 12:30 – 1:30 pm, there will be free pizza at the “Knights, Bites, and Insights” meeting on the second floor at the student center HUB. Northern Essex also emailed an announcement on February 11, that the Lawrence YMCA, is open to free access for Northern Essex students. The YMCA also provides Food Services. According to the email students can stop by the Lawrence Campus Express Desk in El Hefni or the Student Life Office on the Haverhill Campus for a YMCA Voucher. Faculty and staff can obtain a Voucher from Patty Bradford in Human Resources, located on the Haverhill Campus in B-219.

 

Campus Life, Uncategorized

NECC grad’s success story

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Exploring Jasmine Chazulle’s struggle and her achievement

From Beauty School and unemployment to being in NECC’s graduating class of 2014. While Jasmin Chazulle is not a recent NECC graduate she is still well known by many faculty members and possibly some current students on campus. If anyone remembers any events thrown by Student Life and being persuaded to participate in any wacky games by a very energetic and loud person, then you have come across Jasmin Chazulle or Jazzii as some would call her.

In many ways Chazulle was apart of NECC for almost 9 years. She started NECC in the Fall of 2008 and continued to stay even after she had already graduated in the Spring of 2014. During her six years of being an NECC student she majored in Accounting and then later decided to change her major to Computer Science. She also participated in a few clubs on campus as well such as; P.A.C.E, Student Senate, and she was also a work study for Student Life. “P.A.C.E helped expand my possibility of receiving more education, the Student Senate helped teach me the ways of brown-nosing and networking and Student Life helped me become the women I am today”

Even though after graduating from NECC with an associate in Computer Science Jasmin later went on to receive her bachelor’s for General Studies with a concentration in Small Business at Southern New Hampshire University. But Chazulle’s story it isn’t as straightforward as one may think. While going to school part-time Chazulle  also became a mother to now a 4-year-old Benjamynizaak. Unfortunately, Chazulle  was never able to have that one-on-one time at SNHU that she wanted but it did however create a new challenge for her. She took advantage of Southern New Hampshire’s online degree program and taught herself the material every chance she got. “It took almost 2 years of hard work and understanding. When my strong suit was being more visual instead of teaching myself that was the hardest. Looking for help for a certain subject when I didn’t have a car back then to travel to campus really took a toll but when you put your mind to it and really try to understand the concept, I felt like Southern New Hampshire really knew what they were doing.”

By Spring of 2017 Chazulle had graduated Southern New Hampshire with her bachelor’s and had decided to move even one step further and achieve her master’s degree at Cambridge College for Business Administration. While Chazulle is mostly on Cambridge College’s Lawrence location, working as a Program Coordinator for Playworks. Playworks is a nonprofit organization that originated in Oakland, California to help improve the lives and well-being of children through play. Chazulle’s main responsibility is to organize recess for the kids by teaching them a game and showing them how to play safely so they can have certain tools for life. “Once I got myself into it, it broke me in to the fact that they are why I wake up in the morning, because I know these kids, because I was one of them,” she said.

Chazulle hopes that in her advocacy at Playworks that she changes the lives of the kids she teaches and gives them the hope of being something greater than their situations or what anyone else tells them they are.

One of Chazulle’s current projects for Playworks was raising money for her junior coaches to go to a conference to be recognized for what they do in their afterschool program that teaches kids leadership skills, fun and safe games that they can use in life, confidence, and how to use their words to be more assertive and not aggressive. In one afterschool program that Jasmin hosts on Thursdays from 3 to 430 she used to have 4 students and after some time it became at max capacity of 15 because even the kids are realizing how Playworks is helping them. “I have 15 students under my belt and every one of them knows I’m an open book, they understand that this is who I am. There are no excuses, they don’t care so they understand that if coach is in pain and is sick and is still here than so can I.” While Chazulle juggles getting her master’s, being a mom, a teacher, and renewing her beautician license she still reminds herself of what she truly wants to do both personally and professionally. Her personal goal is to hopefully acquire a master’s in dance so she can educate the youth. She would also like to start her own nonprofit organization for troubled youth so she can get the opportunity to show them that they can better their life by investing in themselves.

“I want to tell these students yes, I was born and raised in Lawrence. I grew up in poverty,” she says. “I know what it felt like to be scared. I know what it is not to have food. I know what it is not to have good clothes or clean clothes. I know what it is not to have the brand-new sneakers. I know the pain and suffering you must feel. Hear the gunshots from across the street the inappropriate noises at night. Yes, I do know, and I was there. But that is not an excuse to act that way, it is for you to become better and preform better in your community, so your community could flourish.”

Towards the end of the interview Chazulle had some encouraging words for any current students at NECC left with her till this day from Student Senate, “Education leads out ignorance. The more education you get the more you will understand the past, the present and the future.”

Sports

Glew excelling at next level

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Former Northern Essex star raising profile and catching eyes

Ex-Knight Evan Glew has continued the upward trajectory of his pitching career. The 22 year old southpaw from North Andover has done well enough to even garner some attention from big league scouts. None of this seemed remotely possible just 5 years ago. That’s because, in his fourth year of high school, Glew had yet to make his high school debut. Grades and attendance had made him academically ineligible for three years running. A switch to night school better accommodated his academics and the absence of the migraines that once plagued him allowed for an improvement in his attendance.

Getting on the field proved to be the hard part for Glew, as evident by his performance in his debut season for the North Andover Knights. He was a strikeout machine from the start and only got better as his first season progressed, leading the North Andover Scarlet Knights to state semi-finals.Then a 5th year of high school was granted by MIAA. Once again he dominated, going 10-1 with a E.R.A of 1.29 and compiling over a 100 strikeouts, according to records kept by former teammate Maxwell Guertin. He seemed to prove that the previous year was no fluke and his arm was the real deal.

Still, there were concerns about his ability to handle a college course load after a turbulent academic career in high school. No big schools wanted to risk a scholarship on someone that had only two years of high school ball to his name. Some would have pouted and pitied themselves. But not Glew. He used the rejection for fuel.

In 2016 he enrolled at our fine institution, Northern Essex Community College. His profile continued to grow as he continued to pitch with a chip on his shoulder. He was electric going 9-1 with a ERA of 2.63 and compiling 79 strikeouts in 72 innings pitched. In addition he also recorded 4 saves while pitching in relief, according to the Northern Essex Athletics page. He headlined a dominant pitching staff for the knights as they went all the way to the national finals, before succumbing to perennial contender Texas-Tyler after a valiant battle.

Photo of Evan Glew, in front of a red background.
Evan Glew Photo by Franklin Pierce

He continued to excite and impress during his second go around at Northern Essex. They seemed to be heading for another finals appearance before being disqualified for a fight that took place during the Regional Finals. It was a sour note for Glew to end his NECC career on, but he was ready to move on to the next stage of his career.

In addition to his on the field dominance, he had also continued his development as an academic weapon during his 2 years at Northern Essex, so well that he not only received an athletic scholarship, but also a partial academic one. As a Franklin Pierce Raven Glew  compiled a 5-1 record with an E.R.A of 3.33 and 42 strikeouts in his first season for the Division II powerhouse, per their athletic site.He looks to improve upon that and show that he belongs at the next level during his senior year.

When pondering his future he had had this to say: “Baseball is what I love and know best. It has opened many doors in life for me and I’m very thankful for the game. I plan on playing or coaching for as long as I can.” There started to be whispers of him getting a shot to make a career out of this game. He always knew that he would. The only question was: Would it be as a player or as a coach? It’s starting to look like the playing part is going to last some time after college.

He showed improved velocity, with his fastball starting to touch the low 90s for the first time consistently. Add in a nastily unique 12-7 circle change, and it starts to be more believable that he has legitimate big league stuff.  He still has long odds to be able to pitch for a living. There’s no sugarcoating that. He also had long odds to get to where he is now.  So succeeding even further would just be keeping with the precedence already set.

Sports

NECC’s newest additions

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Students, staff looking forward to new teams

Northern Essex Community College has officially announced the arrival of three new sports coming Fall of 2019 (Men’s Soccer, Women’s Basketball and Esports) which makes it a total of seven different sports for both men and women. Other sports include men and women’s cross country, men and women’s track and field, men’s baseball, women’s softball, men’s basketball and men and women’s golf. So, you could say that the athletics program keeps growing and growing each year and there is the opportunity for students to participate in a wide variety of sports.

According to a Athletic Department flier, ever since 2010, the Knights have received 10 NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Championships, two athletes from the track and field program have received National Championship titles, and the men’s baseball team have made six appearances including National Runners-up in the 2016 season.But it wouldn’t be possible without the athletic program team which includes Dan Blair,

who is the Director of Athletics.

Blair thinks that keeping the athletic program here at Northern Essex alive is just as important as expanding it. Blair also pointed out other benefits that student athletes gain while competing for the Knights. “The athletic program also helps student athletes compete at the college level before moving on to four year schools and even competing at the Division 1 level” Blair says.

Throughout the years, Blair has been seeing more improvements as well as people taking the sports here more seriously. “NECC athletes don’t just get the opportunity to play sports, but they improvements in their GPA and scholarship money for when the transfer to 4 year colleges or universities” Blair says. Every coach and member who is a  part of the NECC athletic program take this very seriously to help the athletes in the future.

If you’re looking to compete for the NECC Knights, the door is always open to everyone that wants to join any team. You don’t even need past experience in any sports to compete for NECC. For more information, visit www.neccknights.com , visit the new official Instagram page at neccknights, and contact Dan Blair at dblair@necc.mass.edu or at 978-556-3820.