All posts by Luke Larkham, Correspondent

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Successful semester for Community Outreach Group

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Finally unhindered by the COVID-19 pandemic NECC’s Community Outreach Group (COG) has bounced back with a successful year of volunteer work. This semester COG has orchestrated a bake sale for deaf inc., a clothing drive for Lazarus house, and a collaborative campus clean-up.

 “This semester they decided they wanted to help out DEAF Inc. and so we had the first bake sale in over two years and it was successful. We earned over $300.” Said Merideth Gunning, COG’s faculty advisor. “We had an American Sign Language interpreter, but we had a lot of the students who were learning sign language coming by and being supportive.”

DEAF Inc. is a local multi-service non-profit run by and for deaf individuals. Fundraisers like COG’s support numerous programs such as independent living and American Sign Language training.

NECC students could have also found boxes around the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses collecting clothes for Lazarus House, an emergency shelter for homeless families and individuals in Lawrence.

COG’s work does not stop there. On April 20. COG teamed up with the student government association and the environmental club for a Haverhill campus clean-up.

 “I would love to do more events with multiple clubs next semester, I think specially after COVID we should unite and work together and I would like that after I’m gone whoever takes my position continues to work with the clubs and do more collaborations,” said Sarah Pachano, COG’s vice president.

 COG club meetings, events, and drives are open to all students, and they are always looking for more volunteers to help.

“Unfortunately, the clean-up event wasn’t very popular and at 11 a.m. nobody showed up, which was to be expected based on how plenty of classes start at 11 a.m. We decided to regroup at 12:30 p.m. and we got a group of about five people,” said Franziska Hoene, SGA president and one of the key organizers of the clean-up.

 COG Club meetings occur every other Wednesday from 12:30-1:30 p.m. on zoom and in-person on the Haverhill campus, Spurk building (C).

 “I actually didn’t plan to join the Community Outreach Group, but I went to one of their meetings and saw that they were interested in helping the community in every way they could, and, well, I stayed,” said Pachano.

 

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The mastermind behind Student Activities

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If you find yourself looking through Northern Essex’s event calendar, one name starts to stick out from the rest: Student Life Coordinator Stephanie Haskell.

 Haskell has been with NECC for nearly four years now, and her role in student life has been essential in almost all major events on campus. Though her history of event planning doesn’t start there, for that, you’d have to look at her time at Nichols College.

 “We had a thing called a programming board, and I was like the president. So we got like a whole chunk of money to plan events for students […] I did way more outside of the classroom versus stuff for my major in business management,” said Haskell.

 In addition to being the student government president, Haskell was the logistics coordinator for her college’s orientation program. She pursued her masters in higher education at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, where she worked as a student life assistant.

 After her time in Florida, Haskell got a job at Louisburg College in North Carolina, where she worked for nearly five years, ending her time as director of student engagement before joining NECC.

 “It was just like my student involvement led to this career […] I absolutely love it and it’s basically something different every day,” said Haskell.

 During her years at NECC, Haskell has been involved in an array of programs like the National Society of Leadership and Success, serves as an advisor for the Student Government Association, has helped train numerous students for internships, implemented NECC’s event calendar, as well as planning numerous events like the U-Knighted Fair and Spring Jam to name a few.

 Although Haskell’s biggest impact on campus may be the students, many of whom jumped at the opportunity to share their positive experiences,

 “Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today. She deserves so much praise and probably a raise too. When she plans events, she puts in a lot of thought and thinks about things that I normally wouldn’t consider,” said Franziska Hoene, SGA president.

 “Stephanie is one of the most supportive members of staff in the NECC community. Her work in student life supports the development of professional and soft skills needed for the real world that isn’t readily available in theoretical classrooms,” said Jessica Newey, a NECC student ambassador.

 “Her commitment to the students, to Student Life, and to the success of everyone she meets is refreshing and inspirational. She has committed herself to showing others what she has learned through her leadership experience,” said Laura Martyn, SGA parliamentarian.

 One recent change in Haskell’s day-to-day is the new Assistant Coordinator of Student Life, Suzanne Reyes, who had this to say about Haskell.

 “Stephanie exemplifies what it means to be a great leader. I have seen how she really works to encourage students to have independence and to be engaged. I am really looking forward to continuing to work closely with Stephanie and to bring my own ideas and changes to the NECC clubs,” said Reyes.

 As the semester comes to a close, Haskell is already making plans for student activities this summer and beyond.

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Crowd turns out for U-Knighted Fair

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The first in-person U-Knighted Fair since February 2020 drew a sizable crowd in Haverhill’s Spurk building Feb. 23.

The annual Student Life event aims to show the diverse extracurricular activities and resources NECC has to offer.

The fair filled the first and second floors of the Spurk building with 30 tables accompanied by staff, faculty, and members of student organizations.

Tables offered free apparel, school supplies, crafts, and information to interested students.

Student Life supplied free food for 150 people that was gone by the end of the three-hour event.

“The U-Knighted Fair was awesome … I think we all loved being together under one roof talking and eating and enjoying time together. It was so nice to finally have an in person event with so many campus wide included,” said Stephanie Haskell, coordinator of student activities and organizer of the fair.

One of the many items Haskell prepared for the event was sign-up sheets for each office and club, allowing interested students to sign up for reminders regarding club meeting times and other related news.

“I got to socialize with multiple people I know, and the food was good too. People did seem to be interested and we got a whole sheet full of new people for the club,” Said Cailin Macdonald, founder of NECC’s Art Club.

Other clubs enjoyed the publicity as well, with Amnesty International, the American Sign Language Club, and Student Government all getting some attention.

The Table Top Games Club especially seemed to garner student interest.

“We had about 15 people put their name down as interested in the club … We will soon reach out and see when a good mutual time to meet is and try and get everyone together to have fun and play some games,” said Matt Gingras, adviser for Table Top Games.

However, not every club was as lucky, with the Student Government Association only reporting three sign-ups.

“Not as many people were interested as I hoped … On a good note, all of us at the tables had fun and it was great to see people in person! They helped me advertise my campaign for SGA President,” said Franziska Hoene, current Vice President for SGA.

The success of in-person events like the U-Knighted Fair seems to have gotten more people excited for similar future events.

“Spring Jam is a similar event but much bigger including more food, music, activities, and more! We just chose the date … I have had colleagues message me about it, which is making me excited to start the planning,” said Haskell.
Spring Jam will be in person for the first time since 2019, and it is currently planned for Wednesday, April 13, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Haverhill campus.

 

 

 

 

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Student Government Association seeking new members

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Northern Essex’s Student Government Association (SGA) needs new members for this semester, with several open positions that need applicants before elections at the end of the month.

 SGA is a student-run forum dedicated to listening to student concerns, raising discussions with senior administrators, and reviewing budget requests from NECC clubs and organizations.

 Last Thursday, SGA voted and approved a request from the Radiologic Technology Club to provide additional funding to help graduating students prepare for upcoming board exams, according to SGA’s Facebook page.

 “We’re here for the school, so if there’s something that we can do to help another club, we have the funding and we have to spend it, so if we can spend it a good way by helping another club, we will do it,” said Johanna Hernandez, current interim President for SGA.

 COVID-19 has made planning in-person events more challenging. Since the start of the Pandemic, most clubs have been hosting their meetings online via Zoom.

 “I’m not seeing as many students involved, but we are seeing different students involved, specifically at events, because, maybe before they weren’t able to,” said Stephanie Haskell, coordinator of student activities.

 With fewer people on campus than in the past, reaching out to NECC students has presented difficulties coordinating extracurriculars.

 “I feel like it’s a different type of pandemic fatigue now,” said Haskell. “Some of us are starting to transition back in person and that’s like a whole nother thing after we were just stuck by ourselves in our house for two years.”

 One of the biggest challenges can be simply getting the word out, with weekly emails, blackboard announcements, and bulletin board postings not being nearly as effective as they were in previous semesters. 

 “A lot of time we can connect on social media, honestly, communicating to students is the hardest part.” said Haskell

 Last December, SGA lost its president, treasurer, and marketing chair when each member graduated. With the secretary position already vacant, this left four open positions.

 Vice president of the Lawrence campus, Johanna Hernandez, was voted interim president after former president, Iseline Mendoza, graduated.

 “I started caring for my classes, I started paying more attention, I did more homework, and I was like I cannot fall behind because I’m here and these people are supporting me to be better. So it was kind of motivational,” said Hernandez

 However, joining a club isn’t always the best option for some students, with heavy course loads, part-time jobs, and children leaving no extra room for extracurriculars. 

 “The pros and cons of joining a club depends on a person’s schedule, and mine was already packed and joining a club doesn’t earn any extra credit so, it didn’t seem there was much for me to gain personally,” said former NECC student Ava Tavares.

 If you are interested in joining a club, any student with six credits and good academic standing can apply for any position by Feb. 23. Voting will occur between Feb. 28 and March 2.