All posts by Matheus Batista, Correspondent

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Students share thoughts on vaccines

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The last year has shifted this whole world upsidedown, and at this rate the cause of all of this is common knowledge.

2020 was a burden and a year to forget by many, but this year has brought out the joy in that COVID vaccinations are increasing at a rapid rateby each following month.

As things currently stand, 30% of the entire U.S. populationhave been fully vaccinated, also meaning nearly 100 million Americans with 237 million doses of the COVID vaccine already being handed out nationwide

As we see the increase of vaccinations, many peoplehave different views on what the vaccines will mean in terms of dealing with the pandemic.

Students at NECC have all had unique beliefs and experiences with vaccines so far, with some believing getting vaccinated the way to go, while some question certain aspects of the vaccine.

Student  Zachary Cutter, has already been fully vaccinated and also is hopeful for change in
the future.

“I took the Pfizer one first dosage before (trip to) Vegas on 1st march I think and the second dosage after Vegas which was on the 26th of April and I felt like crap on the second dosage,” says Cutter.

“There will be many debates on certain issues pertainingto topics like vaccine passport being racist and classist or not. Either way it’s going to be a both interesting and very weird world because of all of this.”

Many students who have taken at least a dose of thevaccine are hopeful there will be a positive
life post-vaccines, but students like Cutter are aware of a possible unequal despair this would
cause, and Andrew Venditti, a 22 year old student at NECC, has similar thoughts.

“The first dose of the Moderna vaccine gave me a sore arm and a headache for a day and a half,
but I’m looking forward to getting the second shot so I can hang with my friends in the future!”
says Venditti. “I am no doctor, but because the CDC recommends gettin gany of the Emergency Use authorized
vaccines, I will take them.

“Once everyone gets vaccinated, I hope most things go back to normal. I hope I can go to
concerts, bars, and take in person classes again.”

“There are some societal disparities however, like the income inequality between the wealthy
and working class, that this pandemic brought into light,” he said.  “I hope that because the pandemic made
some of these things so apparent, that we don’t allow these things to continue totally as they were
before it.”

Normality of the future from before the pandemic has raised questions with many people, and
although many of the population have been vaccinate dand are hoping to return to normal, NECC
student Michelle Colbert-Mason is still indecisive and has questions of her own.

“I haven’t been vaccinated yet and I am still just a tad bit on the fence about it,” she said. “Maybe I’ve been
reading too many uninformed sources on the internet. I’m apprehensive as I wonder about the
long-term side effects and also the overall effectiveness.Long story short, I have no idea. We
will have to wait and see.

“There will be a new normal. There will definitely be a lot of new changes. With so many parts of our lives being forced to transfer to remote,things like online learning and working will be a lot more utilized, developed, an dencouraged.

“Schools having a vaccination requirement for returningstudents is a bit of a horrific thought in my mind. I was with the vaccination requirement when it came to the flu vaccine as I was conditioned to take it yearly and never hada problem. But now faced with the coronavirus vaccine and feeling apprehensive, I’ve found myself on the other side now and it’s a bit conflicting.

Schools all across the nations have talked about plans of opening up, but one key issue schools would need to address is safety among students.

Some students have become so apprehensive of the vaccine that some don’t even have intentions of taking them at all, and NECC student Yamina Valdez is one of the students that shares these concerns.

“I have not been vaccinated. I do not plan to take the vaccine. I don’t feel comfortable taking it,
because it hasn’t been out long enough and am notsure how it will affect me years later,”  says Valdez

“Covid is still at an all time high, you still hav eto wear a mask, and not surround yourself by a
lot of people, but then again they say, “take thevaccine to protect yourself from Covid,’ so, why
do I still have to wear a mask to go into a stor eif I took the vaccine?”

What has questioned students like Valdez in particular about the vaccine has been protocols set
in place. With New Hampshire having set mask-free measures already, it’s a matter of whether or
not the states around will go about similar measures,or take different ones, which is what a lot of
students have become skeptical over and questions over government handling will continue to
grow.

Ultimately, no matter if students will or will not take the vaccine, everyone is hopeful of one
thing: The end to this pandemic and for life to go back to normal.

“In my opinion we need to go back to normal, and build our immune system,” continues Valdez.
“I think if this virus doesn’t get you, your mental health will and it’s becoming unhealthy the
way we’re living, and it’s driving a lot of peopl ea little bit insane with all these restrictions and
the policy or regulations constantly changing.”

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The sports system at NECC

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Sports have been for many years at the very top of the entertainment industry across the world, and sports have brought it in the highest revenues for so long.

It is no coincidence that in the United States, the biggest sports and the development among players are highly based on a collegiate system that gets the young generation a chance to develop their abilities, which is where we turn our heads to NECC. As a community college NECC takes a similar, but also different approach to athletics.

Many coaches and staff have spoken about their jobs and the things they attempt to do to help the college succeed in many aspects. Today, with the pandemic hitting and affecting many jobs worldwide, we have seen a shift in how many jobs operate.

So with that said, how does this affect NECC sports?

And once we get into the post-pandemic world, what is the school doing right in regards to sports?

And what are things we can do toimprove?

Positives

It is fair to say that NECC is far ahead in the things that the school is doing right in sports at the school rather than the wrong.

In two recent profiles, NECC coaches Tim Foley and David Arivella have both expressed how happy they are with the way sports operate at NECC andthat they think are blessed to be working for the community college.

These coaches have claimed many times how much their jobs revolve around helping student sachieve their goals not just inside, but outside of sports.

The fact that the school is aware that students need to prioritize academics and not just athletics is a big sign in the right direction.

NECC has also done a good job with COVID protocols. There would be and have been times where certain college sports teams have had to cancel games because COVID spreading has been out of control, and with the school maintaining stability in testings and social distancing, NECC has been able to run their sports system just fine.

Although NECC is no Duke or UCLA, the school has opened many students and coach staff with opportunities and people like Foley and Arivella have spoken out about this and are proud of th eway NECC has handled sports during this pandemic.

Improvements

NECC in general has done a good job with sports management on aspects including students and scheduling, but like every other school, there is always room for improvement.

Sports at a college have been taken real seriously across the nation and college is the main source of development for many of the top sports athletes nationwide.

Arivella further discussed in his profile how throughout recruitment in the school, the coaching staff only tend to look around the local cities within 15-30 minutes from the campus, and no further.

With the limited cities revolved around scouting for athletes, the talent pool is thin which leaves  a lack of competitiveness among other college kids.

Although being a community college, with improvement in scouting NECC would become an ideal destination for kids across New England to take that step into 4-year college sports programs as well as academically.

Is NECC Heading in the Right Direction?

The post-COVID world is looming around with the new vaccines coming through at a decent rate, and so far it has been shown by coaches and students that NECC is in fact improving in dealing with setbacks.

Now it is just a matter of whether NECC takes sports seriously on that level that most other colleges do, or if the head coordinators do not see it anymore than simply just a recreationala ctivity.

Head staff of sports at NECC can look ahead at bringing old and new faces in and continue to help the sports college system improve as well as the many young people across New England looking to make a difference.

 

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Soccer coach aims to build connections with student athletes

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Sports at NECC has typically always been a foundation in many college kids search for freedom and stress-relieving situations.

When students are overloaded with work, which is what comes with the struggles of college,there’s always another direction students look towards to cool some minds down.

Despite sports being one of these many activities, ultimately it still plays an important role in thelives of many students and staff at NECC, particularly the coaches.

Coaches work everyday to create the most positive environment for their students and their colleagues and play an important role in how their minds function. One example of a coach who makes this their aim in their work space is David Arivella, the Head Soccer Coach at NECC.

“Coming from division 3 program as a player I wanted to stay within the college level and NECC was a perfect opportunity to start my career and I’ve been happy so far going into my third year, and it’s been an amazing journey,” states Arivella

“Since I’m a younger coach compared to some coaches, I believe that’s an a advantage because I believe I can relate to the players, such as juggling with sports and athletics, and if they need help I give them advice on financial aid and where to contact, and most of our staff have helped t make the players succeed on and off the field.”

Having a type of connection with other students is one of the key measures towards their development, both physically and mentality, according to Arivella, and he says he’s been able to do so by being a helping hand in students’ lives both on and off the field.

I always tell my players that school always comes first since you need a certain GPA to play athletics. As long as you’re eligible and meet the GPA needs then you should be good.

“A lot of kids can’t focus on both since they feel like you need to focus more on one another. In college you have a lot of free time so you can use that time to play sports, and then focus onhomework and classes.”

College students love doing extracurriculars as sports, and although it’s enjoyable, coaches like Arivella are there to remind students that education comes first and to not get too complacent.

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Catching up with Track and Field Coach Tim Foley

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NECC has always been a school that offers multiple students from various different background sopportunities to decide what they want to pursue in the future.

In hopes of pursuing academic goals and a future career, many students tend to get overwhelmedover the workload they face every day, and search for different ways to refresh their minds and relieve all the stress, which is why, evidently, NECC offers many different extracurriculars to have students enjoy in their spare time outside of academics.

Athletics in particular is what many students turn their heads into in their spare times, and offers many variety sports such as soccer, baseball, and track & field.

With athletics, as well as academics getting involved in students’ lives, coaches have become the main force behind helping students focus on both and stay on track to staying focused.

Tim Foley, the Head Track and Field Coach at NECC, has been a long time coach for track and was elected to the Massachusetts Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2017 and knows the school and the system in and out.

“I enjoy coaching very much. I was a special needs teacher before I retired and feel that coaching is an extension of that and I have only coached one season so far at NECC” says Foley. “Every student athlete is different. I always try to stay positive and take the time to talk with them about their academics. Not everyone is going to excel daily or every day meet their main goals.

“Academics is essential. It’s why they are in school but life lessons are very important also. We discuss a lot of what’s going on in their lives as well as mine. We’re all in this together.”

Foley is a coach that along with maintaining focus with his coaching role, has also had experience in juggling athletics with academics and is aware of students doing the same.

One problem students and coaches face in particular with academics and athletics colliding is scheduling. Students have different classed scheduled at different times and coaches such as Foley have been aware of this.

“Recruitment at NECC is a bit different as it’s a commuter school. We have to work the practice schedule so it works with their class schedule or when they are on campus.”

“The students usually mention when they are accepted if they are interested in a particular sportso that’s how I’m able to connect with them,” he said. 

Athletics have always been something where students can focus on to get some energy off their shoulders at NECC, but there have always been some setbacks as shown.

Ultimately, throughout the last few months these setbacks have been as strong as ever for coaches, students, and staff.

“COVID has changed everything.” Foley continues. “We had a fine team returning and half of the runners opted out so we didn’t have a team this past season.”

With a hard-hitting pandemic that’s kept millions in the country out of work, workers from all around like Foley have had their jobs affected and hope that the normal life will return in amatter of time.

“After this pandemic, I hope to see things return as close to what they were before but I envision a great deal of protocols being adjusted to keep any chance of something like this better controlled.”

 

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A shift in sports at NECC

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Kids and teens in the United States always have at least one dream about what they want to do when they are older, some of these dreams are inspired overtime by what they do, what they watch, and what they grow up around. One of the most popular activities among youth is sports.

Young people from all over the country grow up in hopes of playing a particular sport when they are older, and some even look to work around the sports industry such as coaching, physio, management etc.

Throughout these past 12 months, however, we have faced a difficult situation that no one expected and out of our control, being the pandemic. From players whose developments have regressed, to coaches and management struggling to make a living, people in the sports industry have faced big setbacks due to this pandemic throughout the whole country.

What big effect has the pandemic had sports around the campus though?

Coaches from NECC in particular are hopeful about returning to their normal lives and believe the pandemic has been a major detriment to staff and students from all around NECC.

“It’s changed everything,” said Tim Foley, Cross Country Head Coach. “We had a fine team returning and half of the runners opted out so we didn’t have a team this past season.

“After this pandemic, I hope to see things return as close to what they were before but I envision a great deal of protocols being adjusted to keep any chance of something like this better controlled.”

It’s been a common theme for athletes around the school and also around the country to opt out of something they’ve desired to do for years.

Having a shortened team and limited options is one of the many changes that’s revolved around this pandemic life, and makes it harder for coaches, players, and staff to do their jobs.

“It has changed what we do, for several months it stopped us completely. Now we are back up and running but following a whole new set of guidelines and while safety has always been an important part of what we do, our COVID safety guidelines are regularly reviewed,” said Dan Blair, Head Director of Athletics at NECC .

“I think some of our coaches spend as much time or more preparing for COVID as they do preparing for a game or practice.”

Safety protocols is one of the many new features to the sports/COVID world.

It’s significant that preparations, stamina, and new set of rules all take time away from practices and build-up for important games.

“We’ve just begun a department wide testing program and are following guidelines of several national governing bodies and authorities to keep our students safe,” said Blaid. “We have a number of updated protocols that we began developing back in June and have been constantly tweaking them as we go and as new information is provided by the CDC and various sports governing bodies.”

In spite of following protocols being a distraction coaches like Blair, it’s a tool measured to ensure safety with everyone and with testings being widely provided to prevent COVID from worsening.

“I think some things many things will go back to normal, but I think a lot of how we are operating in the COVID environment will stick around. Some of it will be looked at sport by sport. Time will tell,” he said.

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Sports at NECC have many purposes

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The biggest purpose of going to college, if anything, is obviously to study and be able to get adegree in a field that you want to pursue in the future.

Students spend most of their time studying to achieve their goals while receiving much-needed help from the best tutors in the campus. Staff at NECC, however, notice how much students put so much time into studying and working hard to obtain their degrees, so NECC offers students multiple miscellaneous activities to easeout these difficult times and help students cool down.

One of these activities is a popular activity among students, sports.A hobby for some, and a focus for others, sports give students & staff the perfect opportunity to form close bonds with one other and learn the concepts of communication and togetherness.

Athlectic Director Daniel Blair believes that there is something very valuable in learning when it comes to sports at NECC

“Just like the classroom, students can learn many life lessons from athletics and make friendsthat will be life long,” he said.  “Athletics is an extension of the classroom learning experience. The athletic department allows me to work with a diverse group of student-athletes everyday. Ig et great pleasure in working with students and watching them succeed both academically andathletically.”

A much bigger picture, as claimed by the source, can be interpreted when it comes to sports,where most people would see more of the athletic side rather than the academic side.“

We are open to any student who is interested in our program, we try not to turn away any student that wants to be on a team without a fair tryout. Additionally, our coaches recruit specific students for their teams that they believe will be a good fit for the program and allow both thestudent and team to succeed,” he said.

Sports give students a variety of opportunities both in their personal lives and in their academic lives to further their developments.

Jeffrey Mejia, baseball coach and assistant athletic director at NECC, also believes sports can bring ou tboth the physical and mental presence of anybody.

“There are many lessons that can be applied to everyday life. Accountability, dependability andwork ethic are the keys to being successful on and off the field,” he said.

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An overview of Fall Semester 2020

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2020 has been a roller-coaster of a year, and it has been something that we have never experienced in our lives before and would be some story to tell to future generations.

Most adults who work regular nine to five jobs were affected with this on-going pandemic through the first couple of months, but since then, along with the mandatory masks and protocols, many have adjusted to a new routine.

We take a whole different measure in students however, where the majority of schools across then nation have gone into remote learning for the first time in their lives

This has proven to be a unique experience mostly for first year college students, who twelve months ago would’ve expected their first year of college experience to turn out to be anything but the situation we’re living in today.

As the semester is coming to a close, and the first full semester since the pandemic has passed by, we take a look at the expectations vs. reality of the first semester college experience of a student through this pandemic.

Sports/Other Activities

One of the biggest changes overall has been activities in sports.

In colleges, activities such as sports, music, arts, etc. have taken a temporary pause as these activities mainly require in-person contact.

Some students on scholarships, not just at NECC, have been able to compete in their sports this semester, however with certain protocols, no big crowds, and the changes in scheduling games and practice, the experience just hasn’t been the same.

Classes

Another big change, and one that has the most effects on students, has been the classes and learning environment.

A packed classroom with 20-30 students starting at the teacher for an hour long while he or she is giving out some sort of lecture is the expectations of most college students entering their first semester rof the year.

However, online platforms such as Zoom have been popular for classes this year, where students, and teachers too at times, have problems from the wi-fi being too slow to someone’s microphone not being good enough for the people in the class to hear.

In general, the expectations that someone would have entering their first year of college wouldn’t have been entering the wrong Zoom class or not being able to hand in their assignment on time as the power cuts off in the middle of their project.

Interaction

The most unique experience for first time college students in general, has been the lack of interactions among peers.

With remote-learning, and specifically the freshmen college students who aren’t familiar with anyone in their school, communication with others around has been very limited.

This has affected classes where communication is key the most, such as journalism, where students need to reach out to others to interact with them about their opinions on certain topics.

This has been hard for those students, since access to other students are limited and teachers aren’t as easy to reach out to.

Students in general haven’t gotten to experience as much with the new remote-learning, such as the classic college partying or hangouts that high school seniors dream about after graduation.

General Thoughts

Overall, this has been a tough year for college students and the freshmen expected their first year of college to be an experience of a lifetime.

The little things such as walks to classes on campus, the struggle to find where those classes are, and the opportunity to get to know new people, is something most college students want to get back to.

As the first semester ends, we are all hoping to see a new positive light going into 2021, and there is definitely much optimism about what the new year will bring.

If remote-learning will continue throughout the second semester, which it probably will, then at least we’ll be able to know what to expect and what the experience is like compared to the first semester.

 

 

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Tutoring center helps students reach their goals

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College students, specifically the ones at NECC and first time students, have had their struggles integrating into college life as of late.

With this pandemic and getting used to the new virtual learning, many students have had difficulties adjusting to a new learning experience that they still haven’t been accustomed to.

The changes in classes and subjects might be a benefit to some, but others still need all the help they can get to achieve a good grade and be more up to date with topics.

That is why Jennifer Levesque, a Coordinator of Tutoring, is here at NECC.

Tutoring has been growing as of late, and is an efficient style of helping students improving theirgrades in certain classes.

“The main goal is to help students with their classes and to help them understand certain concepts and skills, so they can grasp the material,” Levesque says.

Levesque helps out and tutors students who are in need of help with certain subjects, and with this long-lasting pandemic, her schedule has been filling up at a heavy rate this year.

“Tutoring gives students skills so they can succeed in their classes. We also encourage students to be more independent thinkers so that they can be successful college students.”

Adjusting to college learning compared to high school can be a challenge as Levesque claims, so the encouragement to think in certain ways is what Levesque as well as many tutors attempt to do when helping out their students.

Students tend to have difficulties with a lot of subjects, but the most difficult ones?

“It really depends on the student, but there are a lot of students who struggle with math and writing,” Levesque said.

Along with math and writing, NECC also provides tutoring in different subjects such as ESL, science, social students, and computer science.

“To make an appointment with a tutor go to Navigate by logging into the app (search forNavigate Student in the Google Play or Apple App Store) and clicking on “Appointments” or log into Navigate on a computer by signing into myNECC and clicking on “Navigate Student” and select “Virtual Appointment” as the location.”

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NECC Career Center helps students connect with job opportunities

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At a time where job hunting is difficult and many students are trying to explore ways to pay off their tuition, students are in a search for the best job opportunities possible.

Before the Fall semester, many students at NECC had part time jobs to pay off personal luxury, debts, etc.

Now, due to the life-changing pandemic as well as in need of a bigger opportunity, students’ plans have changed significantly.

At NECC, handshake.com is the focal point of job hunting where it is a website that helps students with deciding what they want to do to help pay for their college, pay for books, food, and many other personal needs.

Noreen Fantasia, a Career Center Coordinator, is someone that helps many students out who don’t know how they want to pay off their debts or what to do, and is one of many coordinators at NECC.

“Handshake is our new career management tool and acts as an online job board. It is a platform that allows students to take their first steps into finding a career,” says Fantasia.

“Every student at the college has an account on Handshake. Students will log on using their MyNECC credentials. The Handshake tab is located on MyNECC or a student can go to join handshake.com. Once on Handshake, students have the option to create a profile, upload a resume, search for a job or attend an event such as the hiring fairs.”

As Fantasia said, you can search for either a job or attend hiring/job fairs that the Caree rCoordinators hold to discuss with students about potential hirings.

“The Health Science Virtual Hiring Event was one of three hiring events Career Services offered in October and November,” ssays Fantasia. “By utilizing Handshake, we were able to offer these online events that during normal times would be offered on campus, in person. Like an in-person event, employers who are interested in hiring NECC students and alumni sign up to attend the event.”

Every month, Career Coordinators hold events where students that take an interest in a certain role attend —  they’ve held events including Business and Accounting, STEM, and The HealthScience Virtual Hiring Event in particular.

“By offering these events, especially during remote school, they allow students to engage with companies who would in normal times visit our campus to recruit students. These events are a great chance for students to learn how to communicate with companies and to highlight all they have to offer as well as get hired!” Fantasia continues.

The job surfaces around NECC’s Career Center, as Fantasia states, is a great way to help students decide what they currently like to do, but it also specifically helps students connect with their companies and their peers, which helps with communication in the work life.

The Career Navigation Tools which the Coordinators provide is one of the first elements thatstudents are informed on once enrolling into NECC, and Fantasia says that the main goal for theCoordinators is for students not to feel too pressured about making career decisions.

“The Career Services staff is here to assist any students with their career needs such as resumes,cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, and mock interviews. The best way to make an appointment isusing Navigate. We hope every student will log on to join Handshake.com and create a profile! It is a great site and a powerful online tool to start your career search.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Exploratory program helps students explore their options

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From an early age, school is mandatory for everyone to improve their knowledge over time, first comes elementary school, then middle school, and finally high school.

This is a time period where kids become more educated and spend their time rejuvenating an dnot having as much pressure on their shoulders to make decisions.

After high school, comes college, and this is when teenagers have to start thinking about their future and what they want to do with their lives.

Most teenagers, once graduating high school, have no idea what they want to do with their life.

Some take gap years to think, some don’t even go to college, but for those who do, they may enter into the “exploratory program.”

The exploratory program is a program for undecided students in college.

Lorena Constant, an Academic Success and Career Coach at NECC, is familiar with discussing with students aboutthe importance of their future and helps students make decisions.

“Exploratory program is for students who are not sure what they want to do,” says Constant. “Through career exploration you will receive guidance on choosing a major or navigate differentcareers under one field.

“What we do is we provide career assessment tools – we provide surveys that take less than a minute to complete, and they are based on the questions you ask the career educationenvironment prior to the survey. Based on your results, we recommend you on what to major in. This process is for mostly just figuring out what classes you’re interested in.”

Students who are entering their first college year tend to struggle with classes and what they want to do for the future, and with this survey, it helps a lot of first year students at NECC to make an easier decision on what path to take.

“I am also an Academic Success Coach” continues Constant, “An Academic Coach helps students with anything with classes, as well as help brainstorm for assignments, get ready for courses, management, and help support for classes.”

Academic Coaches are one of the first people students at NECC get in contact throughout every registration, and with guidance from advisers like Constant, students don’t feel as much pressure with decision making and settle in much easier from a different environment than what they arenormally used to.

“We mostly reach out to students in exploratory because we know it can feel overwhelming,” said Constant. “We want to make sure you feel supported and make sure you have an idea on what you’re interested in.”