All posts by Molly Fitzgerald, Correspondent

News

Modern Middle East History Class at NECC

 

The Middle East is everywhere in today’s news media. Stories about attacks and bombings in those Middle Eastern countries, stories about the new Iranian Bill, and of course the stories involving ISIS. But do Americans fully understand what’s going on in the Middle East? Have we educated America’s youth enough to form an opinion on all these debates, and the choices our government is making as a result?

NECC offers a Modern Middle East history class which is taught by Professor Stephen Russell. It covers the history of the region, and the impact the United States and other nations have on it. It helps students understand that the problems in the Middle East started before America got involved, and allows students to see the people of the Middle East not just as Muslims or terrorists, but as everyday people, who have survived oppressive regimes, wars, and revolutions within their own country.

“I wish I knew about the middle east history class,” said NECC student Traeger Domoretsky, broadcast journalism major. Domoretsky, who is graduating NECC this spring, said “I wish someone had told me when I was a freshman coming into NECC the importance of knowing what’s going on in the Middle East. Now, being older, I listen to the news more and I hear stories about Iran and Afghanistan. I sort of understand what the newscasters are saying, but if I understood how it all began I’d feel more comfortable talking about these topics with people.”

David Peńa, a history major who is taking the Modern Middle East History class said “It’s amazing how much more to the Middle East there is besides what the media tells us.”
The media in America mainly focuses on the negative aspects of Middle Eastern politics and culture, which creates and reinforces strong prejudices in their viewers.

“The Middle East is still in the midst of their revolution,” said Peńa. “I think it’s important for students to take this class and grasp an understand of why this is all happening in the Middle East, because then maybe people wouldn’t hate on people just because they’re Muslim.”

Patrick Murphy, a Liberal Arts major, said, “I’m taking the Modern Middle East History course this semester, it has deepened my understand of what’s going on in those regions today.

He said, “People, especially the youth, need to be educated in what has happened in [the Middle East], and hopefully with that added knowledge and insight, we can begin to make the changes to help better our society for the people of all religions and races in the Arab world.”

News

Graduation Day Draws Near at NECC

 

As of March 31, all potential graduates have filled out and passed in their petition to graduate form. With this comes a big sigh of relief and a weight off of their shoulders. But what comes next for those soon-to-be NECC graduates? What other graduation preparations do these students have to do before their graduation day?

Students must make sure they fulfill NECCs academic requirements. Students have to keep their GPA over a 2.0 and pass all required courses to earn an associate degree in their declared major. Students who’ve busted their brains out and achieved GPAs in the 3.0-4.0 range for the fall semester 2014 will receive an award at the commencement ceremony: A GPA ranging from 3.0-3.49 will receive an honors award, while a GPA ranging from 3.5-4.0 will receive a high honors award.

Luckily for soon-to-be NECC graduates there is no graduation fee, which would have been $75 this year. Due to the college purchasing graduation hoods and invitations, the only thing students are responsible for is their cap and gown, which has a fee of $25. Potential graduates can pick up their graduation packets, which include their cap, gown, tassel, hood and invitation at both the Haverhill and Lawrence campus book stores starting Monday, April 14.

Commencement is taking place Saturday, May 16. Commencement will begin at 11 a.m. in the quadrangle next to the gymnasium on the Haverhill Campus and is scheduled to end at 1:30 p.m. that afternoon. Graduating students must arrive no later than 10:15 a.m and report to the Sport and Fitness Center on the Haverhill campus. There the students will be assembled by their programs. There will be signs directing the graduates where to go.

Many soon-to-be student graduates who have taken all the steps on the way to the commencement ceremony are now considering what’s next for them.

“I’m still deciding between UMass Amherst and Salem State,” said Nicholas Mazzone, a communication major and soon-to-be 2015 NECC graduate. “They both have good communication programs so I’m having a tough time deciding.”

Not all graduates will be transferring to 4 year schools. Other will be putting their new associate degrees to work, and plan to stick their foot in the business world with either an internship or a job.

Patrick Murphy, a Liberal Arts major from the Class of 2015, will be taking on an internship opportunity through the Great Basin Institute. An AmeriCorps position, this opportunity will see Patrick doing conservation work out in the Sierra Nevada.
“I’m excited for this opportunity I’ve been given,” Murphy said. “One of the projects I’ll be working on is helping the environments of endangered species and also doing whatever else we can do help them become less endangered.”

Whatever the 2015 NECC graduate decides to do, remember to be proud of your achievements. You will soon have an associate degree and be one step closer to attaining your goals, whatever they may be.

Individuals who graduated in August 2014 and December 2014, and those who have petitioned for May 2015 and August 2015, are encouraged to participate in the commencement ceremony. To find more information about graduating, you can visit the NECC website at http://www.necc.mass.edu.