Monthly Archives: February 2021

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NECC Police Academy aims to promote culture of quality

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Joshua Stokel is dedicated to supporting solid training for student officers in his first year as Director of NECC’s Police Academy, aiming to equip local officers with all the skills they need to properly serve their communities.

Joining the college this past November, Stokel entered a position with several challenges facing him. Most of the college campus remains empty with virtual learning being the new norm for safe education. While that option is available for training officers who are unable to risk their health or have come in close contact with COVID-19, the academy has organized a safe environment to maintain the close relationships that are essential to providing effective learning experiences for these young officers.

Staff instructor Sean Daley notes that vital skills such as de-escalation, empathy, respect, and emotional intelligence are important for effective policing. Daley and Stokel both remark on the importance in the profession of listening to other perspectives when working to understand and resolve conflicts, and the program works to instill the same mindset in the student officers.  Daley says the academy’s goal is to provide “quality candidates and quality training” for local community police forces. Stokel adds, “If you have lousy people and good training, it doesn’t matter. You can have the best people and lousy training, and it won’t work.”

For the local communities, Stokel and Daley share their pride in this year’s graduating group. They commend the departments’ selections for the academy’s student officers. Continuing to move forward with a strong focus on culture, Stokel knows that character is a deciding factor in this profession. He says the student officers need a solid foundation to foster their values. They need to be thoughtful and courteous listeners to interact appropriately with their communities.

Stokel states that the academy’s training is built around these high standards and does not require significant changes in response to the social outcry against police brutality corruption. The only additional pressure stems from the need to “get ahead of the problem.” Daley emphasizes that is important for police training to recruit “the best people we can get,” and then provide professional training that prepares officers to communicate, de-escalate, and deal effectively with complicated situations.

Overall, the Police Academy isn’t wary of calls for police reform. As Sean Ward, Amesbury Department student officer, puts it, “You don’t have anything to worry about if you’re doing [the job] for the right reasons.”

The mission is evidently to foster honest officers. And they believe that honest officers don’t need to resist police reform. Ward and his peer Desiray Caracoglia, a Haverhill Department student officer, look forward to their careers. They don’t want to lose trust with those they swear to protect. “

We don’t want to lose our connection with the community,” Caracoglia says. Both she and Ward hope to reach out more to the individuals they’re protecting when emergencies aren’t present. Negative publicity is easier to gather than positive, so the two student officers want to represent their departments with friendliness and communication in the future.

Overall, the Police Academy is committed to continuing its work.

“At times, the profession is resistant to change,” Stokel says. “And I think that’s a mistake. We need to be ready to sit at the table and listen. We have to be ready to change. Change is a part of progress.”

Joshua Stokel can be contacted with his email jstokel@necc.mass.edu or office phone 978-241-4729 for more information.

 

 

Campus Life, Slider

COG offers outlet to help community

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Club members say NECC’s Community Outreach Group is a place for students of any background to make friends while working towards a common goal: helping their community.

“Everyone is coming from a different situation [and] different perspective, but at the end of the day we find something that everyone can contribute to, and everyone gets to be a part of it in their own way,” said club president and four semester member, Gage Prezioso.

The Community Outreach Group meets every other Wednesday over Zoom at 12:30 p.m. to work on helping their greater community.

Students can sign up to attend by following the link at the bottom of the article, or by emailing Student Life at shaskell@necc.mass.edu.

Who and where COG donates to is up to the students, said the club’s faculty advisor Meredith Gunning. This past December, COG held a virtual trivia night that raised $700. They donated that money and another $500 out of the club’s budget to Fidelity House, a non-profit organization in the Merrimack Valley, said Gunning.

In the past, the group has organized on Earth Day to clean up around Kenoza Lake in Haverhill, and has even gone to Boston for the March for Hunger, said Gunning.

The next few meetings will be about setting fundraiser goals, and having some teambuilding and for-fun activities, said Prezioso.

All students are welcome, and how much they want to be involved in their fundraising and outreach is up to each member individually, said Prezioso. Participation is encouraged, but “we’re not a high strung, super intense group,” he said.

Prezioso said that being a part of the club has made him feel like a part of a community on campus. “For me it was important to make meaningful connections in college,” said Prezioso. “OK, you sit in class for an hour – cool – but you don’t really get super deep conversations … But when you go sit at the bake sale for an hour with someone, you talk about something and you just kinda grow closer to the whole group,” said Prezioso.

For Caroline Martinez, a General Studies in Health student, this was her first time meeting with the group. “Listening into the conversation, everyone here is very welcoming … even though I’ve sat here for 20 minutes, I feel welcome,” she said.

To further establish this club is a place for all students, the group tries to remain mostly a-political. “We try to avoid politics, usually. It’s just about helping without judgment,” said Gunning.

Link to sign up:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtmok0hg3JnZA59iTBczg9rgbkVgKfTkR7KwJuQbEZMy9U9A/viewform

 

 

Arts and Entertainment

Music review: ‘Whole Lotta Red,’ whole lotta greateness or a whole lotta hype?

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On December 25th at 12:00 am on Christmas, the Atlanta rapper Playboi Carti dropped his long awaited second studio album “”Whole Lotta Red””, it received mixed reviews from the fans but to fully understand the album and the strenuous release schedule we must go over the brief history of the album.

The album was announced in late 2018 a couple of months after the release of his first studio album “Die Lit.” Towards the end of 2018 Carti started recording “Whole Lotta Red.” During the process of creating his album he had to deal with numerous leaks. One infamous leak was the song  Pissy Pampers, which was a song featuring Young Nudy. The song went viral even though it was not released officially. Due to that leak and many others Carti had to go back and remake a lot of the album.

He was quiet on social media, until he released the track @meh. Which did not receive the best reviews, causing him to go on another social media hiatus. On November 23 Carti returned from his hiatus and started a campaign of vague tweets teasing the album and On December 25 it was finally released.

The album itself received mixed reviews some people criticized it for not having the features that Carti hinted at. People like Travis Scott, Post Malone, and Pharrell Williams were all rumored to be features on the album. Others just did not like the change of Carti’s overall sound.

Personally, I really enjoy the album. I like how Carti took a more experimental approach to the album with his overall flow and sound. Those changes allow for a unique experience while listing to it. Something else I found cool on the album is some of the references Carti drops on his songs. Such as on the song M3TA MORPHASIS with Kid Cudi when Carti says “They can’t understand me, I’m talkin’ hieroglyphics,” which is a reference to a common criticism of his new flow where he uses a high pitch baby voice that causes people to not understand what he is rapping, that is why he says I’m talkin hieroglyphics.

Finally, the production on the album was amazing because people like Pierre Borne and Kanye West producing the album. It is bound to have some of the most creative and engaging beats and production.

Overall, I think I would give this album an 8/10 and my one suggestion to people who decide to listen to the album after reading this.

Listen to it multiple times, it is the type of music that grows on you and the more you listen to it the more you get into the vibes!

 

Arts and Entertainment

Super Bowl Sunday 2021

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This past year has been difficult for people everywhere. Every rising  month seems to come with an unexpected curveball. With Super Bowl Sunday being held in February 2021, this was a big surprise for a lot of people.

Throughout the year 2020 people were forced to transfer to online work, school, and even social gatherings. This past December, the CDC advised everyone to stay at home for the holidays and avoid travel. This made a lot of people wonder what was in store for upcoming months.

The Super Bowl is the biggest and most watched sports game in America and sports fans everywhere were excited to tune in. Mark Gallant of Merrimac, MA said, “With all the chaos of last year, I’m happy to be a part of something that feels normal. Even though it will be a little different without the crowd, it’ll still be fun!” Expectedly so, Super Bowl Sunday 2021 would be completely different from previous years.

The Raymond James Stadium is the home stadium for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is able to hold over 65,000 people. Since not even close to that many people would be present in the stadium, the NFL planned  something interactive for football fans to participate in. This year the NFL offered a deal for 22,000 fans to submit a photo of themselves and have it shown in a real seat at the stadium for the slim price of $100! These fans will also be sent a link to view themselves in the crowd and were put in an auction to potentially win tickets to the Super Bowl in 2022. A portion of the money collected from this was donated to local charities. This was a fun, COVID-19 friendly trend for fans to participate in.

Even with a creative spin and an entertaining halftime show, there was an overwhelming decrease in views on CBS. ESPN.com says “92 million people tuned in… add[ing] in a record number of people who streamed the game online and CBS said the total audience was 96.4 million.” Past years had viewing numbers as high as 100 million making this year a huge surprise to streaming services. A big number of people who watched this past Sunday were over livestream instead of cable; possibly due to the many Zoom Super Bowl parties!

 

Arts and Entertainment, Campus Life, Home Page Featured News

Students connect through art club

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On the cold night of February 10, students turned on their computers and met through the familiar Zoom to have the Art Club meeting. The club is still fairly new, it’s beginning dates back to November of the past fall semester.

A portion of the meeting consisted of what one would expect. The students introduced themselves, and there were discussions about prior meetings, the overall structure of the art club, and upcoming events like the deadline for the Parnassus Magazine. Then the mood changed, and students began to converse. The smiles were apparent and the conversations seemed to be free, and light hearted. The atmosphere was a soothing one.

Blake, 16, who currently has no major but is dual enrolled at NECC states that they have been meeting with the club ever since the beginning. They state they first got involved only because someone they knew asked them to. However the first meeting changed everything for them. “I loved the people who signed up and really enjoyed the things we did.” The club has also come in handy during the isolating times of the pandemic. Blake states, “It’s nice to meet new people.” Other students share the same sentiments as well.

Toni-Ann Pavao from Methuen, 22, is studying early childhood education at NECC. She has been meeting with the club since November 18th of last year. “I am meeting new people and learning about their creative ideas and art flow… I actually also find it a good way to relax and let all the stress out.”

Another student named Amanda Nickerson from Lowell, 33, is studying at NECC to be a healthcare technician. She decided to join in order to become more involved in the college. Amanda states that the meetings have given her something to look forward to each week. “I have a lot of fun during the club meetings. A lot of great energy and interesting people.”

When asked if they recommend the art club to others, these three students replied with, “Yes, 100%!”

 

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Essex County young adults share their thoughts on local government

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In our education system we are taught primarily about how our federal government works, but what about how our local government works?

I spoke with some of the young adults of Essex County to see how much they know about their local governments, what they would like to learn further about, and any questions that they would ask their mayors.

First, I spoke with Mirrorajah Metcalfe, a 19-year-old NECC student. When asked about what she already knows about local government she had this to say, “Honestly, I know next to nothing about local government.” We then talked about how if Metcalfe could speak to her mayor, she would ask him, “What has he changed for the better during his term in office?”

Metcalfe also had said “I would be interested to hear about how the Fire Departments and Police Departments work. They look super interesting in TV shows.”

Next, I spoke with Matheus Batista, an 18-year-old NECC student. When asked about what Batista already knows about Local Government, he had this to say, “Not much honestly. I know there are obviously issues here and there and I’m interested in knowing about how these governments will be able to resolve them.” We then discussed questions he would ask his mayor; Batista’s responses suggested his interest in how a mayor would handle COVID related issues in terms of reopening schools safely.

Batista, when asked about what departments of local government he would be most interested in learning about, replied, “Probably police stations. I’ve noticed that police controversy has been a big issue in this country within the last twelve months, so I’d be interested in seeing how the people of the local police station function within their everyday routine.”

Lastly, I spoke with Jessica Whittemore, a 22-year-old single mother from Amesbury, about her thoughts on local government. When asked what she already knows about local government, Whittemore responded, “I know that there’s a mayor, a City Hall and a Town Council.” When asked about one thing she would ask her local mayor, she responded with, “Why are our taxes being spent on new police cruisers and schooling facilities, rather than other areas deemed necessary?”

Lastly, Whittemore said she would like to learn more about how the Superintendent’s Office works in a local government.

For the most part we see that the young adults of Essex county do not quite understand how their local governments work, but they are vastly interested in the innerworkings of the systems that govern life within a community and are teeming with questions for their elected officials.

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College and high school students face mental health issues during pandemic

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How is a college student’s mental health different or similar from high school?  The extremely high-stress levels and mental health issues among students have resulted from the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, COVID-19 is why there is a rise in mental health issues in general, people are stuck in the house and scared of getting sick or getting others sick, like family members. Northern Essex Community College students can help us understand the mental health issues among students who are in college and high school. Students from Northern Essex Community College give their views on this topic.

Marriam Saldivar is a student from Northern Essex Community college, she majors in Communications/Journalism. Saldivar and is from the Dominican Republic and currently lives in Lawrence Massachusetts.

Saldivar explains that she feels that high school students have worse mental health than college students, ”I can’t say with certainty, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is,” she said.  “Teenagers grow up with the old saying that high school is the BEST time of their life maybe… They might have other stressors like the expectations of trying to fit in and trying to get good grades to get into a good college. Some high schoolers are starting to work so they’re trying to juggle between the two of them. It’s a lot.’’

It seems like high school students are in more stressful situations compared to college students. They are more likely to suffer from peer pressure trying to go to the best college or being the most popular person in the school. College students tend to have more freedom to do whatever they want and not worry about being cool or popular.

Being a student, in general, is tough in college and high school. Most students go through similar issues,  they are problems that a college student probably will have, and a high school student has that’s similar.

Saldivar states, ” Lots of things like juggling school and works still trying in for some trying to get good grades some of us are still deciding we want to do with our lives… the only difference is that most of us are ending with debt.”

There are a lot of things that cause mental health problems in students.  One of the key factors is the pandemic because students didn’t attend school in person.

Saldivar states,  what causes students to have mental health issues. ‘’it’s various things, like not being able to afford school, and so you take out various loans as you dread the fact, you’re going to end with so much work. Then there’s work when you add it on top of the school. Some employers don’t care, and so we’ve barely got time to ourselves and to rest.’’

There are things on a student’s mind other than their education also working at a job other life issues that can affect their mental health issues.  Some students have trouble expressing themselves and want somebody to give them advice on how to control their mental health challenges when in high school and college, and high school.

Saldivar stated what advice would she give a college student and high school student who struggles with mental health issues.  ”Get a calendar to organize all your events the dues dates for assignments by month, week and make a daily to-do list. It organizes everything.’’

Being organized in college evenings in high school is significantly important.  Making a list is helpful so you won’t feel overwhelmed with and you will get things done. Reaching out to somebody will also help with mental issues.

Natalia Pena is a student from Northern Essex Community college. Her major is nursing. She is from Lawrence Massachusetts. Pena stated she thinks college students have worse mental than high school students. ‘’ I think college students have worse mental health,” she said.  There is a reason why college students have worse mental health problems because they must think about what many college students go through —  a feeling of intense pressure to obtain high grades in connections with career aspirations, taking final exams, trying to establish a romantic and social life, dealing with the often very high cost of college, and possibly working at a job during the school year.

Pena stated what are the similar mental health issues college students and high school students go through. ‘”Similar amounts of pressure to do well in school. They both through the pressure of trying to succeed in their ability to become successful in the future’.”

College students and high school students both deal with stress. It can be different since there are different stages in their education. They can also be going through similar issues.

Pena says” Yes definitely there’s a lot at stake.,” for college students. Being a college student can be stressful because of the student loan college students have to pay.

However, there are similar worries among college students and high school students have, such as not having good grades passing in work in time worrying about not meeting requirements academically.

Pena stated what she thinks causes mental health issues students ‘’I think the lack of resources and knowledge on how to deal with mental health issues causes more issues.’’   When a student has a lack of knowledge and resources, they have a difficult time adjusting to school. They should have someone to guide them to the right path, such as an excellent guidance counselor for high school students or a helpful adviser for college students who need to seek help to get through the semester.

 

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Baseball program adjusts to COVID-19 safety protocols

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Ever since the Coronavirus struck the U.S. last March, the country has had to deal withmany changes in our everyday lives. From wearing masks at all times, to socially distancing in public, to not hanging out in big groups or meeting new people; it is safe to say that our world has been converted into something no one could ever imagine.

No one can be too sure when our society is going to return back to the way it was, but for now people need to be ready to adjust to certain things they might not like.

The guidelines that the baseball team needs to follow to stay safe have made their team practices “somewhat difficult, but understandable,” from the words of Captain Levi Burrill.

The players have to get their temperature taken every morning before practice, masks must never come off, covid testing is required every other week, and the players need to social distance from each other as often as possible.

Unlike their practices last year, the team doesn’t get many chances to practice as a whole. For the first few weeks they were practicing, it was individual work so that the players could stay in small groups and somewhat isolate from each other. In my interview with Burrill, he said, “We all understand why these rules are in place. People need to stay safe and healthy, and we’re lucky to get the chance to play everyday, because a lotof people can’t right now. It’s going to be easier for us when we can get back outside on thefield.”

These are just a few of the changes that the players needed to make going into the season.

The team practices are not the only thing that has changed drastically since last year.

Another big part in the offseason is when the baseball team gets together to lift as a team 4 timesa week.

Last year, there was not a time or person limit on the weight room that NECC has in thea thletic building. As long as you were a NECC student and signed in with your ID, you could go exercise for as long as you’d wish.

With Covid protocols this year, the team lifts that the baseball team usually participates in had to be severely altered. There were small groups that had assigned times during certain days of the week, and they only got that small window to work out in.

The final team lift competition was cancelled this year because of the virus which issomething that the players really look forward to every year.

Hunter Wilichoski, a sophomorecaptain on the team, said, “It’s unfortunate that our lifting competition got cancelled this year.We all work out with each other for months during the off season and the competition is when we finally get to settle who is the strongest. It’s a create team bonding experience right before our practices start, and we’re all sad we had to miss out on it this year.”

The NECC baseball program has had to go through some growing pains with dealing with the virus, but they are finding a way to make it work. They open up their season playing Rowan CC in New Jersey on March 13 and 14.

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Students find ways to be entertained and creatively inspired in 2021

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As we emerge from the year of 2020 — a year of which could be generally described as a global catastrophe and a stressful period for most — the remaining effects have still left many people feeling unhappy in their daily lives, as well as isolated from friends and family due to Covid-19.

The isolation is also having an especially large impact on college students — specifically regarding their current lack of social and live educational experience(s). While the chilling February weather and gloomy skies may also trigger a depressing mood, having a creative outlet and/or source(s) of entertainment may help to alleviate some of this negative energy.

Many NECC students have found various ways to be motivated, creatively inspired, and entertained in 2021.

“I think that covid has helped me to isolate away from people and only think about myself, and the things that I want to do in my life,” said Jeremy Isabelle, 20, a journalism and communications major from Haverhill.

Isabelle began to further express his love for writing and movie-watching as his form of a creative outlet and entertainment. “It feels as though I have a giant canyon to just scream into whenever I get overwhelmed by my daily life. Like if schoolwork is really dragging me down, I start to write down what’s going on with me. Then it starts to feel like I’ve thrown a giant weight off my shoulders,” he said.

Furthermore, he also explained his love for Stanley Kubrick and Christopher Nolan movies, as well as how he draws much of his personal inspiration from the entertainment media. “Stanley Kubrick, Hunter S. Thompson, George Orwell, and Arthur C. Clarke—each of these creatives have their own kind of genre that represents its own portion of my life,” said Isabelle.

Isa Grullon, 34, is a journalism and communications major from Lawrence, as well as the editor-in-chief of the NECC Observer. When asked about her creative outlets, Grullon stated that although she loves to write “2020 made it hard to write about anything aside from covid. I even had a file that I kept called the ‘Corona Chronicles’.”

Grullon further explained, “Because I haven’t been doing all the activities that I would normally do, like going to concerts and restaurants, I’ve been watching a lot of new shows and movies on Netflix.”

Grullon also loves to watch popular Youtubers, such as Bailey Sarian, a lady who tells thriller stories about crime and mystery while doing her makeup. When asked about her motivation and inspirations, Grullon stated, “My daughter and my sense of responsibility to the world are what inspires me to stay motivated — it’s a feeling that comes from within. I don’t really have to search outwards.”

“I love to paint and listen to music. It helps me think about what I am feeling. I also like to think of ways that will make my room feel cozier since I’m in it all the time now,” said Victoria Martinez, 19, a Health major from Haverhill.

She began to further explain that by managing her college courses, it has also helped to keep her mind active and structured during these times. When asked about what she does to stay motivated throughout her life and personal obligations, she stated, “I have a hair, skin, and self-care routine that I do every day to help myself stay positive. I always try to have a positive mindset and make sure that I’m good, even when things go bad.”

Martinez further expressed how she feels that focusing on oneself is the most important and effective way stay productive and inspired. “My mother is what also motivates me, one hundred percent.” says Martinez. “I need to at least be happy and successful for her.”

Writing, watching films, listening to music, and practicing self-care are all valuable creative outlets and sources of entertainment that have helped NECC students. Despite these blue times, students are hopeful for a positive change, and looking forward to a brighter future in 2021.

 

Opinion

Gender diversity

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Gender, more specifically the expression, rights, and “definition” of it has been one of the biggest civil and social debates, more specifically in the United States of America, for the past dozen or so years.

For the general masses usually, there isn’t much to explore, you are born as a specific sex and that reflects your gender, this is often referred to as “Cisgender.”

For a small portion of the population this is not the way it is, instead the sex they are born as conflicts with the gender they identify. Someone who experiences this would typically identify as Transgender, and the confliction is labelled as gender dysphoria.

Now some people who identify as Transgender may be born as a male and identify as a female or be born as a female and identify as a male. In both cases said individual will usually undergo treatment which includes hormone therapy, gender reassignment surgery, and therapy.

The rights of Transgender individuals has been under much scrutinization for years, with dozens of groups looking to either fight or advocate for the rights of those struggling with such issues, or those who are against it claiming it is unnatural and supporting such actions promotes a myriad of awful actions.

Obviously, the people against the rights of Transgender individuals are, not in the right. There is one “third” route in being Transgender, and that is those who identify as Non-Binary.

Not necessarily identifying as either male or female, but instead identifying as something outside the gender binary. Now these people may seek gender reassignment surgeries or hormones, often to reduce breast size, change their voice, or to just appear more in line with how they feel there gender is.

Non-Binary individuals are talked about often, but more in the sense of pronouns and gender-neutral terms, but it is a lot more than that.

Representation in media of said individuals is almost non-existent with a lot of people who identify as Non-Binary, including myself, often finding themselves identifying with more alien like creatures in fiction.

This shouldn’t be the standard though, a huge issue amongst the Transgender community is the suicide due to the extreme challenges they face on a daily basis, with sources stating that 48% of Transgender adults having made one or more attempts in their lifetime.

As a community, and the voices of America, we have to start changing this number, as an individual offering an ear, support, or even help to those who do experience gender dysphoria can make such a big difference in their life.