Daily Archives: October 26, 2020

News

COVID and its effects on jobs

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During the pandemic, Covid-19 has not only affected in person activities for school, but has also had its effect on jobs as well.

Many businesses have had their share  of shutdowns and closures during the pandemic, causing workers to have had months with no employment. Massachusetts has been one of the hardest hit, with some still being left with no job. There have still been some businesses that are still feeling the effects of the pandemic and haven’t had a startup yet.

“We’re not sure when we’re going to open back up,” says Andover resident David Kailton, who currently works at Boston’s Improv Asylum. “It’s been closed since everything shut down in March, and I’ve had no work. But We’ve had some virtual meetings and things are looking up for a reopening soon, ” Kailton said.

Boston has been one of the unluckiest cities, with many places still shutdown to this date. Businesses being shut down have left employees out dry, and some have even had to search for work elsewhere.  But luckily for workers in other places, this has not been the case. Some workers have been able to also receive unemployment to aid them while they were out of work.

Justin Mburu, an electrical engineer and NECC student, has been able to work a few months now after being out of work due to the pandemic. “The unemployment checks were very helpful for paying things off” Mburu said. “Now with work being back, I’m able to earn my hours for engineering. We were out for a few months which set me back a bit, but now I’m back on track.”

Mburu is also juggling work with his engineering class, which the pandemic has caused the class to be fully virtual. Mburu says the virtual classes have their perks but also have some disadvantages as well.

CJ Leblanc, a current worker on the Massachusetts railroads for the company Keolis, had a similar story. Although being hired three months before, Leblanc stated that he  “had to wait until  Aug. 17th to start work” due to the Covid pandemic.

“ I was ecstatic to start work since I really needed the money like everyone did. But with everything that’s been going on with Covid, a lot was shut down, and I had to patiently wait to start my job” CJ stated.

Covid still has left a huge sting on some businesses and has caused some  employees to still be left unemployed all of these months. Things have looked bleak for some and may not know how long the wait will be. But for others, those effects have subsided. With a few regulations, things are mostly back to normal life for them.

“ Everything since my first day has gone smoothly at work” CJ contentedly said. “Hopefully the pandemic doesn’t interfere too heavily with our jobs again.”

 

 

Campus Life, Slider

Students and faculty reflect on a remote semester

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Going all the way back to March, students nationwide have had to master the art of online classes. Fast forward to present day this is still the case and it doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.

Many local schools have opted for completely online or hybrid for the time being.

Northern EssexCommunity College has made the entire first semester online for its students.

I spoke to some students and professors about how they feel about everything being online.

The overall response I got was it’s not ideal, but they are working through it the best way they see fit.

Eli Duff, a freshman majoring in Human services stated “After having an online and virtual outcome forsenior year, I was grateful for some experience and trust in my online school abilities! With collegecourses, activities and events being held online, it has truly been a difficult and enlightening situation. Ihave always loved being with people and being able to interact with others face-to-face but with thisnew adaptation, I have been shown a new obstacle that I am willing to take on! Seeing across what hashappened, there are many new online methods and wonderful ways that have allowed us to completesimilar tasks as we may be used to.”

The school has done a lot to help its students up to this point. They have made it, so studentshave access to Wi-Fi hot spots on campus. They have had students go to campus and pick up muchneeded supplies. Even with the added resources from NECC students are still finding it hard to stayfocused and motivated on their schoolwork.

“I find myself having to lock myself in my room some nightsjust to get my work done.” Says Freshman Matthew Glynn.

The struggle kids are facing currently is likely not to shift much. Northern Essex posted on theirwebsite the plans for the spring semester. They state that the spring semester will begin on Jan. 22 ofthe new year. The new semester will have some classes on campus, but it has been limited to the classes that need to be in person such as lab classes.

Each student I have spoken too have said that they wouldrather be in person. Alicia Clogston a nursing major, says “So personally I don’t like everything being online because I don’t learn as good and having to basically teach myself everything is harder and I honestly don’t think teachers are putting as much effort in. I prefer in person. As much as I hate actuallygoing to class it’s a lot easier to learn with the teacher right there in front of you and taking noteswhereas staring at a computer screen.”

Being online is not the only stress in student’s lives these days. Due to the schedule being what you want to make it, kids are now having to balance home and school in the same setting. Many students working have picked up more hours or even other jobs to fill their empty time, and now haveto throw in being a teacher to themselves. Situations like these are likely to influence the work ethic ofstudents as well as the mental health. Some are handling it by being able to to still develop a clear divide between the two.

Patricia Portanova, a professor in the English department sates ‘I am coping with work/life balance in the same ways that I hope our students are- by creating a structured daily schedulewith manageable deadline, dedicating a space for work in my home, logging off at the end of each day,and creating space for down time to focus entirely on my loved ones and self-care.”

It’s clear that everyone is experiencing this in all different ways, but it is also clear that everyindividual is working through it to their best abilities, as well as helping each other through these tryingtimes

 

News

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s death imparts a sense of loss and apprehension in many people.

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On Sept.18, 2020 the nation suffered the loss of long time Justice of the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away due to complications from pancreatic cancer. Even before her appointment to the Supreme Court in 1993, Justice Ginsberg was a well-known advocate for gender equality and women’s rights, voting within the court to end gender discrimination, for women’s rights to body autonomy, and for the right for LGBTQ+ individuals to marry.

Upon hearing the news of her death, many people across the nation shared their fears that Justice Ginsberg’s legacy would be destroyed by the clear division of the nation, and a last-minute appointment before election day.

Darlene Hurley, the daughter of two NECC graduates, a Public Health Advisor and Healthcare Consultant, who met with Justice Ginsberg and attended multiple Supreme Court hearings said, “I think RBG’s death is a tremendous loss for all women in America. I think that RBG knew that it was important for women to have the ultimate say over their own bodies, and not the government, policy, or law.”  Regarding the nomination of a conservative Republican Justice before election day, she said “ I think that the possible replacement that is being put forth as President Trump’s nominee may very well change the landscape of a woman’s right to choose what she does with her own body. I do fear that because of that, we may backslide into a time where women with lower socioeconomic status may be most affected.”

On Sept. 26, eight days after Justice Ginsburg’s death, President Trump announced Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Since President Trump’s announcement of nomination, there has been backlash from Democratic party members and members of the public, all saying that the nomination is too close to the election.

Shane Rodriguez, a local attorney, and a professor at the Massachusetts School of Law, said “I have been following the Barrett nomination, and the rushing through of her confirmation, and I think that Barrett is the polar opposite of Ginsburg and her legacy. She opposes almost everything that Ginsburg believed in, and would significantly set back women’s rights, and LGBTQ+ rights.” On Barrett’s conservative stance and her lack of impartiality, he said “ She strongly opposes, and even goes on the record to say that she supports the recriminalization of homosexuality, as well as taking financial donations and supporting Alliance Defending Freedom, a group that supports the sterilization of transgender individuals so that they may not reproduce. She often brings her religion into her judicial decisions and because of her devout Catholicism and her conservative nature, she would very likely vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, which would get rid of a woman’s right to an abortion under any circumstance. She completely dismisses the separation of Church and State, and that is a danger to our democracy.”

In 2016, when Justice Antonin Scalia died, President Obama nominated Merrick Garland nine months before the election. Members of the Republican party said at that time that it was too close to the election to nominate and confirm a new Justice, and that the newly elected President should nominate the replacement. Now, the Republican party is saying the exact opposite, that an acting President is well within their right to nominate someone no matter how close it is to the election.  Joe Woods, an NECC alumnus, who attended Supreme Court hearings and got to see Justice Ginsburg in action in the late 90’s, said “I think that a Trump appointment of a replacement severely jeopardizes all of the gains made in women’s rights, as well as LGBTQ+ rights. Unfortunately, the President is within his legal right to make an appointment, though, when the Democratic party held the presidency in similar circumstances, the Republican party position stated that it was unfair to make an appointment so close to the election. Even though the Republican Party’s emblem is an elephant, the present Republican party seems to have a short memory, as they currently espouse a totally hypocritical stance.”

News

Local businesses continue to struggle with uncertainty

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Local businesses continue to struggle as Massachusetts proceeds with the state’s reopening guidelines. Since non-essential businesses were forced to temporarily close in March, many have been unable to reopen due to a lack of income. While some businesses have been able to reopen under the state’s phased “Reopening Massachusetts” program, it has been a challenge for some business owners to operate as they did before the shutdown. The challenge isn’t limited to operating under lower capacity, but how unpredictable day to business has become.

Justin Bastinelli, owner of KJ’s Caffe in Chelmsford, closed his café on March 24 when non-essential businesses in the state were forced to shut down. He reopened KJ’s on May 18, adhering to the state guidelines. “When we first opened back up, there were no tables to sit. You couldn’t sit. So I was in here measuring out six feet distance checkpoints where people could stand in line. I even did it out the door. I had chalk down in case the line was that long.” When Massachusetts began to permit indoor dining at a limited capacity, Bastinelli returned the tables and booths to the restaurant, with plastic tarps separating tables, and every other booth blocked off so groups can maintain a safe distance.

Prior to the beginning of the pandemic, Bastinelli closely monitored when the café’s sales so he could calculate necessary staff as well as food and drinks. Now, he says the most challenging aspect of reopening has been how unpredictable business has been. “I could’ve told you, before this all happened, ‘Alright, we’re going to be slow for the next half hour, but then we’ll be busy for forty minutes, then we’ll be slow again and it’ll pick back up; for the most part, to a T, I could tell you when that was going to happen. But now, with people staying at home to work, kids at home to do schooling, I don’t know. Generally, 8 to 9 has the busiest hour of the day. Now, it could be 10 to 11, now it could be 11 to 12. There’s literally no direction to why anything’s going to happen. Last week, Monday was the slowest day of the year, Saturday was the busiest day we’ve ever had here.”

In Billerica, Amy Dearth is the president and senior events producer at Swanson Meadows Event Venue & Restaurant. The venue was scheduled to have a soft opening on March 21 hosting its first wedding, with a grand opening on April 1. Because of the shutdown, these events did not happen. Swanson Meadows received permission to open its outdoor deck in early June and has been hosting outdoor dining since then. The indoor space has been used in limited capacity but with cold weather coming soon, Dearth has had to look into what options are available.

“We are classified as a restaurant, a venue space, and a bar. We have spoken with the Board of Health and we’re able to confirm that when we’re using our space as one of those specific items, we are to follow the rules of that particular experience. So for us, we have a beautiful indoor space that we can use. So we’re tailoring how we use our space inside based on ‘what’s the highest occupancy for the experience’.” Options Dearth is looking into include selling tickets to see performers and dinner theater. She is also working with the Billerica Fire Department to investigate safely heating the outdoor patio for the coming colder weather.

Like Bastinelli, Dearth has gone to great lengths to adhere to safety guidelines set by the state. “All the tables are socially distant, six or more feet apart. My entire staff wears masks when they’re on the show floor. All of the equipment and tables are sanitized on a vey regular schedule. And we have sanitizing stations, those little towers, placed in more active parts of the space. They’re touchless. You can walk by and just swipe.

Unlike Bastinelli, Dearth doesn’t feel that inconsistent business has been the most difficult challenge. She describes the most challenging part of operating in the current environment as two-fold. “One is on the business side; understanding, interpreting, and applying the rules that are being put forth because they are ever changing. And they’re rules that don’t make sense to professionals in the field. For example, if you’re going to order a drink, you have to buy food. Why? How is that going to stop the spread of COVID? It doesn’t, and that confuses us a little. We follow it, but the rules don’t make sense to people in the industry. But we really take the rules seriously, and I’m proud of that.”

The other part of trying to operate in the current environment has to do with dealing with the segment of the population that opposes COVID-related restrictions and ‘anti-maskers’. Dearth explains, “There’s this divide amongst the world right now. I kind of feel like if you are with the rules, the patrons that might come to your restaurant who don’t like the rules are not going to come now. And then if you do the opposite, you get shut down or the people who would follow the rules are not going to come.”

As COVID-19 cases rise and fall throughout Massachusetts, businesses like KJ’s Caffe and Swanson Meadows Event Venue & Restaurant are likely going to continue operating under uncertain conditions. As long as the virus is with us, people like Bastinelli and Dearth have to operate as best they can.

News, Slider

NECC is ‘All In” for election participation

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As Election Day etches closer and closer, students and faculty at Northern Essex Community College continue to prepare for Nov. 3, despite the general absence of classes on Campus.

Although classes are almost completely online this semester numerous events have been prepared by student and faculty organizations to in order to increase student participation in the electoral proccess and better inform them on issues that’re important within this election cycle.

NECC’s Coordinator of Civic Engagement, Service-Learning, & Community Resources Janel D’Agata-Lynch, gave some insight into what is being done to help ensure students participate in this election without the aid of on-campus resources.

She explained how exactly the college is going about this she detailed the colleges participation in the ‘ ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge’ and it’s goals.

“ The general purpose of The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is too increase student participation in the election. We work towards this by creating engagement plans and holding group sessions on campus to discuss the election and work on ways to better communicate to students how to register to vote. We also hold events virtually, which is newer this year with the pandemic,” she said.

She also explained the impact the COVID pandemic has had on the election cycle and how many events and plans had to be altered in order to continue through the numerous inconcviences caused as a result of the pandemic.

“In previous years we’ve had tables on campus for voting registration and have held forums on the candidates. We’d sometimes have primary Nacy 2 candidates visit the campus and speak to students and faculty,” she said.

Though most of these events weren’t able to take place this year, D’Agata- Lynch didn’t view the changes as wholy negative.

“In some ways it’s better because it’s easier for people to get access to events and opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise been been able to if they were all taking place in a physical medium,” she said.

D’Agata-Lynch also notes the variety of online resources being offered through the college that can help students better prepare to vote in their area.

A series of videos has also been prepared featuring students and faculty explaining the voting process and why it’s so important to participate in the election. A variety of important dates for both the Massachusetts and New Hampshire elections have also been provided.

Some students have also voiced their concerns in regards to the election cycle and the impact it might have on their local area.

When asked about the current election cycle, Paramedic Technology student Tyler Hamel gave some insight into what the typical student might be feeling right now as the election continues to create more and more tension and anxiety within the population.

“I try to stay informed and watch the news, but I really feel uneasy whenever I see anything about the election. I hated hearing all the commentary after the first debate and all the ‘best moments’ from it. It feels like people are taking this too lightly, so many people’s lives and well being are at stake right now and people are treating this like a joke,” Hamel said.

Hamel also talked about his concern regarding how the election results might impact his future and his career.

“Healthcare is really important right now and it’s really strange to see so many potential changes being talked about right now. I have no idea what my fields going to look like in the next five or ten years. It’s really something I like doing but I feel like a want some stability in my career. It’d be really devastating to go through all this training then find out it was all pointless in a few years,” he said.

This election has undoubtedly been highly emotional and induced greatly different feelings in each person it’s impacted, especially considering how many students lives may be directly effected on issues decided in the next month.

Both students and facualty are preparing the best they can even if their concerns are often so different from eachothers. Regardless of the tension, the Northern Essex Community continues to be cocerned and greatly involved in both the process and it’s outcome.

News, Uncategorized

Gen Z 2020 : The first decision

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The 2020 elections are arguably one of the most important election cycles of American history. What also makes this year very special is that it’s the first election year that many of Gen Z can vote in. Gen Z is very active on social media and is known for their activism on said sites. Gen Z may be active on social media but are they willing to go out and vote?

“Who qualifies as Gen Z?”  According to the Pew Research Center anyone born from 1997 to now is considered Gen Z.  “How many are there”  according to Statista, there are 67.12 million Gen Z kids in the entire U.S. Finally, “How Many are able to vote” According to the Pew Research Center “24 million will have the opportunity to cast a ballot in November”.

However, this does not mean their registered, it’s just an overall number of how many people will be turning 18 and up. As a member of Gen Z, myself I wanted to get my peers’ perspective on the 2020 election and current politics in general

I sat down over zoom with Julia Taliaferro who’s a freshman at Framingham state and  a political science major.

Finn: First question are you voting in the 2020 election.

Julia: Yes.

Finn: If so, who are you voting for.

Julia: I am voting for Joe Biden.

Finn: What did you think about the debate last night.

Julia: Oh god it was a nightmare, I mean it wasn’t worse than I expected, but it didn’t really make me more confident in my choice.

Finn: Do you think Biden has more gained momentum since the pandemic .

Julia: I think he has since so many Americans have died. I don’t know how much he’s gained out of it but I think it’s a safe bet he has gained some more supporters.

Finn: Since you are voting for Biden, are you just settling or are you confident in your support for him.

Julia: I am settling for Biden, I really liked Bernie Sanders.

Finn: Do you think the current president has done anything for the country.

Julia: Can it be negative.

Finn: Yes

Julia: Yeah, I feel like he reinforces a nationalist mindset. It is so clear that he doesn’t care about certain people, which is reflected by how he is focusing on the economy during a global pandemic.

Finn: What policies do you like from Biden.

Julia: I like his ideas on climate change but last night he revealed that he doesn’t support the green new deal. All in all, I think he is good for woman’s health care and I support how he wants to expand health care for the country.

Finn: How do you think the rest of Gen Z is voting.

Julia:  I feel like Gen Z is mostly liberal, but as you know we went to a tech school, so we’ve seen both sides of the spectrum. I think Gen Z is becoming more of a progressive generation. I’m also sure that all the other generations before us also claimed to be the most progressive

Finn: Final question, there is a common stereotype of Gen Z talking a big game about change on social media but the not bringing about said change. Do you think Gen Z will bring change in 2020?

Julia: Maybe not in 2020 but I feel like there has been a lot of activism influenced by Gen Z. Again, Gen Z is young at this time, there is a good chance that our generation can make a difference, it might take a while because most of us are turning 18. But I think our generation will make some sort of change, positive or negative who knows.

In 2020 there are a lot of unknowns. This election is an unknown, both candidates have their diehard supporters. This election won’t be decided in one night, but one thing is for sure. Gen Z wants their voice heard and they have the numbers to do it.  24 million members of Gen Z will be eligible to cast a vote in November. This election may be an unknown, but one thing is for sure, Gen Z will be showing up to the polls in 2020.