Monthly Archives: May 2020

News

Are ‘murder hornets’ cause for concern?

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As if living through a pandemic isn’t anxiety inducing enough by itself, social media rumors are now being spread about a mysterious “murder hornet” that has migrated to the United States.

In late 2019 two bees were spotted in Washington, later determined to be Asian giant hornets, the world’s largest wasp according to National Geographic.

Andrew Venditti, a communications major at NECC said the “murder hornet” sounds like it came out of a sci-fi movie. The arrival of the hornets is still a mystery to researchers. Venditti said “I can’t imagine a hornet flying across an ocean, so they probably got here stowed away on a boat or plane.”

Maddy Gosselin, NECC alum and current resident of Bridgewater MA, said she hasn’t even heard of the hornets. “We’ve already got corona, I don’t think anybody wants any more foreign killers entering the country,” said Gosselin.

Retired University of Montana bee expert Jerry Bromenshenk said that the media hype for the hornets is “turbo charged.”

While National Geographic states that they are able to kill humans, the danger lies in the threat they pose to honeybees. The hornets can wipe out entire honeybee colonies. “Hopefully we can get rid of them before they do too much damage to the indigenous honey bees that are already in lower numbers than they should be,” said Venditti.

Caitlin Camiliere, a New England native currently residing in Lander, WY, said she doesn’t know much about the bees but she heard that they’re killing native U.S. bees and that makes her sad. “We are already struggling to keep our pollinators healthy as it is, what with climate change and industrialization.” She added, “If those dirty hornets think they’re gonna kill the last remaining pollinators they’ve got another thing coming!”

Associated Press reported that since a lone hive was wiped out in Canada last September no Asian giant hornets have been spotted in 2020. Bug experts told AP that instances in which these hornets have killed are rare and said for humans “it’s a really nasty sting.” The number of people that seek medical attention after the stings is incredibly small.

To put it in context, the World Health Organization says that mosquitoes are responsible for millions of deaths yearly worldwide while Asian giant hornets kill a few dozen people a year at most, and in Asia people have lived with this hornet for thousands of years.

CBS News reported that a public outreach campaign has begun to report sightings of the wasps. Entomologist Chris Looney says, “don’t try and take them out yourself if you see them.” He says any sightings should be reported to the Department of Agriculture. God only knows what next month will bring us.

 

Opinion

Adjusting to our new normal

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Recently with the extension of the Stay-At-Home order given by the governor of New Hampshire, it looks like they are trying to re-open the state slowly and effectively. The new order is now in effect until at least May 31st.

Personally, I think it was a good idea to extend the order considering Massachusetts did as well because if New Hampshire were to re-open while Mass stayed closed then a lot of those residents would come up here and spread it, even more, considering they are a top state with cases. As one of the states with fewer cases, I don’t see the rush they have to re-open it and boost cases drastically.

Sports are postponed for the time being. The NBA suspended operations about a month ago, along with the NHL, and the MLB delayed their opening day and have yet to set a new date for the beginning of the season.

The only sport that wants to try and start on time is the NFL but that won’t be until at least September. The NFL is trying hard to keep the season, but it is looking less and less likely with each passing week.

Recently Korean baseball has begun with huge restrictions. The only problem is if you want to watch it live you must be up around 2 am to watch it. Without sports, it has been a very boring quarantine but that is fine if this ends sooner rather than later if they pushed to bring them up. 

My work has changed as well. Working at a credit union, at first other workers were coming to our branch to work with their place closing. With rules from the state of groups of 10+ not allowed, our big group was then split into teams to work every other day so there was less contamination. Now with the new rules, we must wear masks 24/7 while at work and keep a distance away from our coworkers as much as possible. 

All the rules and regulations needed to be followed is a lot to handle with everything going on. Now I excessively wash my hands to a point where it seems like too much but with our current situation too much probably isn’t even enough.

As much as people dislike staying at home, if we can limit the spread of everything, we expect things to come back to a completely normal matter a lot sooner.

 

 

News

A conversation with student trustee Courtney Morin

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Courtney Morin serves as the Northern Essex Community College Student Government Association’s Vice President of Haverhill and also as the Student Trustee on NECC’s Board of Trustees.

In recent SGA meetings, she and Stephanie Haskell, a member of NECC’s staff and the advisor to the SGA (a position whose holder authorizes SGA votes and serves as the bridge between the student government and NECC higher-ups), have talked about a legal campaign proposed by the Student Advisory Council members to change the laws surrounding the election of the Student Trustee.

To find out more about their intent to challenge the laws and what the Student Trustee does at NECC, NECC Observer SGA Correspondent Jonas Ruzek sat down in his bedroom to interview Morin virtually. Below is the conversation that took place.

JONAS RUZEK: “How and why was the student trustee position established?”

COURTNEY MORIN: “The student trustee position is a position written into Massachusetts General Law. The reason why the position was established is not written. However, I suspect that it was to give a student voice to each public college’s Board of Trustees.”

RUZEK: “What are your roles and responsibilities as the student trustee?”

MORIN: “To act as the student representative to the Board of Trustees, be a voting member on the board and attend monthly meetings to discuss enrollment reports, planning, emeritus approvals, tenure approvals, sabbatical approvals and reports, audit reports, budget reports, fiscal year budget reports, campus safety reports, and other matters.

“The student trustee is also a voting member to the Student Advisory Council to the Board of Higher Education. The student trustee can also be a member on one of the committees on the college’s board of trustees, such as the Presidential Evaluation Committee, where President [Lane] Glenn’s leadership is evaluated each year.

“While it is not a requirement, Trustees are highly encouraged to be involved in and attend the Student Government Association, as they can be the bridge between the SGA and the Board of Trustees. This includes the ability to inform the SGA of any matters that may concern them and the student body as a whole (such as tuition increases, campus safety and armed police on campus, etc.).”

RUZEK: “When and how is the student trustee usually elected? And what are the necessary qualifications a prospective trustee must possess?”

MORIN: “The student trustee is elected every spring semester, usually at the end of April and early May. According to Massachusetts General Law, the new student trustee is to be elected by May 15. Students must be considered full-time students and be in good academic standing.”

RUZEK: “Is the position paid? Also, how long are terms?”

MORIN: “No, it is fully voluntary, and terms are one year, from July 1-June 30. But a Student Trustee is allowed to run for reelection.”

RUZEK: “What legal change to the laws surrounding the position are being proposed by Stephanie Haskell? Why is she pushing for this change?”

MORIN: “The legal changes to the laws surrounding the position are not being proposed by Stephanie; they are being proposed by the Student Advisory Council members. The change would be to alter the requirement of full-time to part-time. This would make the position open to more students and would be more equitable to the population of community college students specifically, as much of our population is part-time.”

RUZEK: “Do you foresee in the near future any change to the laws? If so, what kind of change?”

MORIN: “In the face of COVID-19, I don’t see any change to the laws, specific to this change in requirement, happening soon, However, it is something that I hope won’t be forgotten in the aftereffects of the pandemic. This change is important, though, and shouldn’t be forgotten.

“Also, for the law to change we need a legislature to sponsor the law first. I’m unaware right now if the Student Advisory Council members have gotten one yet. Then they have to go through a very long process of changing a law.”

RUZEK: “How high of a priority do you think change to the laws should be? How much of a problem do you consider current laws to be?”

MORIN: “For community colleges specifically, I think that the law is outdated and doesn’t reflect the current population of community college students.”

“Even at the university level, there are more part-time students attending than ever. A student is a student, and we should not be disqualifying certain students because they aren’t considered full time, especially if there is already a concern in our student population of hunger and homelessness.

“Many have to go only part-time so that they can support themselves and/or their families, be this through working one-two jobs, taking care of kids or other family members, dealing with chronic illness, transportation, food, etc. They are still members of our NECC community, or their respective college communities, and their voices should still be able to be heard as such.”

RUZEK: “Is there anything else you want the public to know?”

MORIN: “Student voice is fundamental to the operation of colleges. There would be no colleges if there were no students. The Student Trustee position allows this voice to reach the people at the top of the ladder and to make certain that our voices can be heard if need be.

“It’s an incredibly interesting position, as you are able to see two sides of the governance process: the student perspective and the administrative perspective. Sometimes these don’t align, but the ability to hear and see the perspectives of the administration on why they chose to do X, Y and Z is incredibly valuable. ”

 

Arts and Entertainment, Slider

Time for creativity

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This is an interesting time for creatives, and I would know because I am a photographer, writer, and a graphic designer. As a student and a big sister to 3 girls, times have been tough, and my family and I have had to adjust. Everyday for the past 4 weeks, I’ve had to commit to being a homeschool art and spelling teacher, and a student with all my courses online. But somehow I’ve had more time for my art and writing. It’s hard to find inspiration to create when life is less adventurous and you can’t experience much while sitting at home and just trying to stay productive.

 As a photographer, it’s been hard to find new ways to take pictures, and new subjects to have for those pictures. But last week my sister and I came up with the idea of experimenting with my camera skills and her modeling skills. We share a small room and we have a bunked bed, so we set up a white blanket under the top mattress, coming down to be our backdrop. We also use a lamp for our light that I moved around while taking the pictures, to get different affects on the quality of the photos. I used moved around to many sides of the room and used props like a book, and my big winter jacket. Although we just did this for fun, these came out to be some of my best portrait photos. Here’s a little look:

 

 

I do believe that I would never get these pictures if we weren’t quarantined and always home. I also have more time for writing my poetry and I wrote a good poem a few weeks ago when this all started, inspired by social distancing and everything I’ve been personally going through so far. For me, the only positive to come out of this crazy pandemic, has been my time spent on writing and art. I’ve also learned a lot and I’ much better with time management. Before this happened, I was almost never home, between work, school, business, my friends and my boyfriend, so when I was home I’d relax and procrastinate and I’d use the fact of me never being home as an excuse to not get much done while I was home. Since I’m always home now, there are no more excuses and I’m always trying my nest to stay on top of things and keep moving forward.

But I will get through all the negatives that come with these positives, because I have my writing and art.

Here is the poem that I wrote:

 

Features, Home Page News Bytes

Lessons learned from quarantine

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The coronavirus has had its grip on the entire world for the better part of 2020. As human beings it is in our nature to learn, grow, and thrive in the face of adversity. While we continue to fight through this pandemic, many people are noticing things about themselves that perhaps would not have been so evident otherwise. 

Jane O’Connell, 22, of Norwell, works part time as a unit coordinator at MGH. She has discovered that exercise is her “friend”. “I’ve learned that the best part of my days now are when I am out for a walk or jog. Doing so allows me to clear my head and reflect on what is going on in the world and all the things I am seeing at work.” She said via text message.  

Nurse Angela Pagliuca, 33, of Revere said, “The pandemic has taught me that sometimes in life we need to slow down and take care of ourselves.” 

“Pandemic has taught me that I’m more of an extrovert than I ever imagined and that physical touch from other human beings is something I clearly too advantage of,” wrote Melissa Owens, 37, of Los Angeles, Calif. “It also has reminded me that I can actually live off less money if I stay home, cook 99% of my meals, not travel, and not buy and browse stuff in stores ‘cause I’m bored.” 

For others like Kimberley Simmons, RN, BSN, 26, of Arlington, the pandemic has proven to be a sort of confirmation of character. 

 “This pandemic has reinforced for me that there are things you cannot control in life, and sometimes that’s okay,” she said via text message. “This disease has manifested itself as the great equalizer. It has reinforced being thankful for my health as well as my family and friends. Quarantine life is not too different for someone who is a homebody to begin with haha.” 

In the eyes of some, the pandemic has exposed weakness in the government.  

“…I learned how underprepared our government was in handling the situation and how little the working class is cared for in general,” said Samuel Correa, 25, of Everett, Mass.  

“I’ve learned that we are fragile as a society. The seams have unraveled within our outdated government structure,” said Arthur Collins, 34, a software developer from Salem, N.H. in an email.  

There are some that believe the pandemic has shown the faults we hold as intelligent beings.  

“What this has taught me is that we humans are the virus on earth. How much we pollute is awful,” said Jacqueline Fabian, 33, of Lawrence. “Also, it taught me how much we take for granted, the little things like spending time with family.” 

“I’ve learned that common sense is not that common and should be appreciated when you come across it,” said Angel Garcia, 34, of Lawrence via Facebook messenger. 

For many, it’s the social distancing that is worst of all. Not being able to see friends and family or greet them how they are accustomed to is taking a significant toll on a large part of the population. This is especially true for Jonathan Perez, 32, a co-vocational church planter from Lawrence. “I learned the importance of an embrace. The warmth of a loving touch and the insurmountable need of the company of loved ones,” he said via Facebook messenger. 

“The pandemic has taught me how important human interaction is for good mental health,” said Alison Fiscella, 30, of Raleigh, N.C. via text message. 

There are those who have learned to appreciate the small things just as much as the big things in their lives.  

Cindy Mejia, 32, of Lawrence wrote in a text message, “This pandemic has taught me that we take simple things for granted! Such as spending time with family! Not being able to see a family member or celebrate a birthday!” 

“The pandemic has taught me how to enjoy and be grateful for the little things again. Like when we used to be able to buy toilet paper whenever we needed,” wrote Tneesha Jones, 32, of Greensboro, N.C. in a text message. 

Some have decided to take this time to improve their lives for themselves and those around them. “I’ve learned how to telework, be a mom and a teacher all at once,” said Rebecca Pagan, 40, a technical lead at the IRS from Lawrence. “I’ve learned how to eat at home and not buy outside food which is the opposite of the way I was living before. I learned how to garden and that I truly have lots of patience.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a greater appreciation for our advancements in technology and all things “new millennium”. 

“…Without technology we really would’ve been screwed,” said Jesenia Torres, 32, of Manchester, N.H. who otherwise is not a fan of her three school aged children using electronics all the time but has found it to be very helpful during this time of quarantine. 

At the end of the day, we are all being reshaped in some way by this pandemic. Our daily routines and thoughts have had to be modified in order to fit this new world. Hopefully we will survive to tell the tale and learn to be better at the end of it all.  

 

           

Campus Life

Is isolation introvert heaven?

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Patricia Gosselin and her dog

You enjoy spending time alone? Check.

You’d rather spend time with one close friend than with a crowd? Check.

You prefer calm, mildly stimulating environments rather than loud, rowdy ones? Check.

After several conclusive internet quizzes, endless field research conducted by myself, and constant comparisons between myself and others, I’ve come to realize that even though I once thought of myself as an extrovert, I am most definitely, without a doubt, an introvert to my core. Though I’m not alone, intovertdear.com says somewhere between 30-50% of the US population are introverts, it can feel extremely lonely some days. In quarantine, not so much.

Are the current guidelines for social distancing a godsend for those of us who self-identify as introverts? It can feel like it. There are no social obligations at this time, not only are you encouraged to stay home but your peers would judge you if you didn’t practice proper social distancing.

For those of us who are introverts and also students, the shift to online learning can be helpful. Anxiety can be a common symptom among introverts, according to PsychologyToday and they can face anxiety in just showing up for class. For me, some days it feels like a grueling task just to get dressed and drive much less be there, so the switch to remote learning comes as a welcomed change. I can work, on my own, at my own pace and Zoom events are far less draining than in-person classes or meetings.

An introvert can feel depleted after social events, almost as if every interaction is a withdrawal from their bank of emotions, and usually the only way to re-charge or make deposits back into that bank is to spend time alone, says buffer.com. With the current social climate, there are minimal social settings and a plethora of re-charge opportunities.

I’m in heaven, you know, besides the whole pandemic thing, don’t get me wrong I would never intend to minimize the deaths of thousands. It feels like this world was made for me, rather than before, where I felt like an outsider most times. The status quo finally leans in my favor.

So, if I, and people like me, are thriving in this moment of increased social distance, then what does the future hold when things begin to return to normal. If anything, I believe more people will have discovered that they too enjoy working/learning from home and social distancing and might want to continue the practice.

Opinion

Vaccine inside a box

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As we are reaching the end of our two month mandatory lockdown, many things about the American way have changed dramatically. For starters, no one can say that they fully grasp the context of the walking epidemic and the impact it will have in months to come or even the next few years. This is probably the highest unemployment rate that the country has ever seen, and the rise in the rate of people needing to ask for food and other resources to make ends meet.

The social structure of school has vanished, and some workers have kids that they don’t have child care for anymore. Sports of all kinds are canceled and many people are stuck inside trying to find a purpose to life at this point.

But, as the world turns, so does the way we think and comprehend things. How do we have fun? How do we get back to normal? What is normal? Being a journalist, I have asked many questions on these issues. Most people think that it’s just crazy to not be able to gather with family and friends and have a good time, and it’s a very hard time to be alone.

One answer I found came from a source that I will let remain unknown for personal reasons, but this person is very scared of the lines outside the store where people have to risk getting sick and dealing with unpleasant people. When thinking about everything, personally I believe this pandemic is very media-fueled. Too many Americans are trying to cope without fear but the news on TV has us lost. That fear has exacerbated the monster called COVID, to the point that humans are under extreme scrutiny.

The only way for us to move is up and when looking through the lens of 2020 I see hope. The lockdown has shown us that maybe the protest culture is dead, and we Americans are truly in love with social distance and staying home. But nonetheless a vaccine will come soon if the story line is true about people working around the clock the develop it. Only question is, will it be given at your local library or will it be shipped to every American mailbox called “Vaccine Inside a Box?”

Home Page Featured News

Students continue to adjust to remote learning

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Patricia Gosselin photo

For most college students, on campus learning is the preferred    method of education, but due to the ongoing pandemic, students have now been forced to abruptly transition to remote learning.

“It definitely hasn’t been a smooth transition for me, this semester has been pretty tough.”  stated NECC student Ryan Perrault via Zoom interview. Many NECC students like Perrault are feeling overwhelmed, lost, and disconnected from their normal learning environment. 

For some NECC students like Lauren Thornhill, remote learning hasn’t been too difficult to adapt to. “Online learning is definitely different from learning in the classroom, but it’s also nice because I can work on assignments throughout the day,” she said.

“The best part is you can attend class and complete homework all while never having to eave the house,” Thornhill laughed via Zoom.   

For some couple students, factors outside of the classroom are the biggest challenge. Many businesses have been forced to temporarily or permanently close due to the ongoing pandemic, forcing many NECC students to stay home.  However, some NECC students have been considered “essential” workers, and have been forced to work more hours while juggling homework as well.

This is the current situation for NECC student Ally Farrah, who describes her current situation as a “true test of determination and self-discipline.” “

I’ve had a lot of homework lately, and my job has increased my hours due to being understaffed.  So with work and homework I’ve just been really tired and stressed out lately,”  said Farrah. 

Like Farrah, many NECC students can relate to the stress and exhaustion from balancing their school work and jobs. Despite the challenges they face, NECC students and staff have done an incredible job at showing true character and strength during these uncertain times. 

 

Sports

Esports continue

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Northern Essex Community College currently has only one sport still continuing games and that is esports. With the situation at hand canceling a lot of sports this semester, esports is able to continue playing due to the fact they won’t have to be in-person to play. Some of their games were canceled when the campus was closed, but some of them were still able to be played. 

Coach David Arivella has been able to help the esports athletes during this time by keeping some of the games going. “Our Overwatch team was unable to continue playing as some of our players required the equipment on campus so the Overwatch team was forced to drop out. So, players who cannot play from home were unfortunately unable to continue competing,” Arivella said. The esports team was able to continue with its Smash Brothers Ultimate and Rocket League games though.

The difficulty of streaming Smash Brothers Ultimate has been hard for the team considering they don’t have the proper equipment to be able to stream the games. “Unfortunately, we do not have a capture card for streaming Smash Bros which makes it hard for anyone to follow. Matches are played but no one actually gets to watch them,” Arivella said. “We will hopefully be getting a capture card for next semester which should allow a Smash player to stream.” The esports team is looking to acquire a capture card that would upload the games to a screen and then the team would be able to stream it for the audience.

The esports Rocket League team recently won the championship on April 29. For anyone interested in following the esports team you can see how their tournament system is set up at https://njcaae.leaguespot.gg/league and if you want to see the overall standings for the esports team you can check that out at https://www.neccknights.com/sports/esports/2019-20/schedule. 

Opinion

Tea helps to cope with quarantine, symptoms

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I think I was exposed to Coronavirus.

 The day was Tuesday April 14, 2020. I woke up that morning with a cold.  I was scheduled to work and was debating whether I would work the shift, or if I would disappoint my job. I asked my coworker for his advice. He then shared with me a COVID-19 related email he had received.

As I read the email I realized that I could potentially have the virus. I called my manager right away. Flashbacks of me not being cautious start playing in my head as the phone rings. I share with them the news and they tell me to get tested right away.

 My doctor informs me that my symptoms aren’t typical but there’s still a possibility of infection. She instructs me to stay in my room for a total of 10 days. I was not allowed anywhere in the house without gloves or a mask, and I was forced to self medicate. My schedule looked a bit like this:

 9 am: Morning tea, vitamins, alongside regular cough medicine.

 3pm: Afternoon tea, and second dose of regular cough medicine

 11pm: Night Time tea 

 I wasn’t eating as much as I wanted to because my sense of taste and smell disappeared but luckily I made it through. There is no proof that the teas actually did something but it seemed to work for me.

I was fortunate enough to not develop any further symptoms, but this experience was life changing. I believed I was being careful but in reality the only way to be safe is to be home. So with that being said; please stay home!