The NECC Knights men’s basketball team begins their season in a few weeks, and excitement is building around the program this year. Although the Knights lost several players last year, a solid core of returning sophomores plan to anchor a young team with plenty of athleticism.
Ryan Grant, Parker Rogers, and Chris Corey plan to bring some veteran leadership to the relatively young Knights squad.
Chris Corey, a Knights captain this season, is excited to get the year started.
“I just want to start playing. I’ve been waiting all summer,” Corey said.
When asked about his summer preparations, Corey made it clear he is looking to make a splash this year.
“I’ve been playing more than ever this summer, anywhere I can get on the court. I’ve been really dedicated, I’m finally taking it seriously.”
Head Coach Darren Stratton says, because of the youth, the team will strive more for chemistry than anything else this year.
“I like the recruiting class we’ve brought in, we’re just looking to take things one game at a time and improve every day,” Stratton said.
The new Knights lack size, with their tallest player at roughly 6’5″. Because of that, Stratton plans to take a more up-tempo approach to the offense this season. He plans on playing an open post scheme, which focuses more on perimeter play and will showcase the Knights’ athletic ability and the open up many three-point opportunities.
With the abundance of wing players at Stratton’s disposal, the opportunities for slashing to the basket and getting points in the paint will be plentiful. If the Knights can also show the ability to team rebound, the Knights will be in it until the end.
In addition to running a wide-open offensive scheme, the Knights will be looking to do a lot of full and half court press defense. With a good press defense, the Knights would be able to put pressure on the opposing teams all the way up the floor, causing disruptions in the passing game and slowing down potential fast breaks.
The Knights will open their season Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014 at New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord, N.H. After that, the Knights will play nine of their next 14 games on the road, including trips to the University of Connecticut at Avery Point in Groton, Conn. and Vermont Tech in Randolph Center, Vt.
The Knights’ first home game will be 10 days later, on Nov. 11, against Gateway Community College of New Haven, Conn.
Other home games of note are a showdown with Roxbury Community College of Roxbury, Mass., whom the Knights swept in two meetings last season, on Thursday, Jan. 15, and a conference matchup with Massasoit Community College on Thursday, Feb. 5.
Practice hasn’t started yet, but the Knights had a meeting to begin the year on Monday, Sept. 9 at 4 p.m. in room D129 of the Sport and Fitness Center of the Haverhill campus. Twenty prospective players attended the meeting along with Stratton and Assistant Coach Joe Tardif.
The meeting was mainly an orientation to the program, with the coaches collecting physicals for players and handing out the rules for eligibility and the NJCAA Code of Conduct.
“We’re all looking for a productive, winning season and trying to build on last year,” said Chris Corey, the team captain.
There are plenty of activities at the Sport and Fitness Center on Haverhill for students to participate in and to help get their blood flowing while dealing with classes and heavy workloads this semester. The school year can be stressful, and the Sport and Fitness Center can be a great place to unwind.
The Sport and Fitness Center offers programs for all kinds of students, no matter their physical or schedule limitations.
There are group programs available during the week throughout the semester, including functional movement, cardio-boxing, and bootcamp.
The functional movement class uses stretching and bodyweight exercises to help create strength and mobility throughout the whole body, helping to prevent injury and improve general wellbeing.
Cardio-boxing is an intense 30-minute interval workout, implementing boxing techniques with three-minute rounds of workouts with one-minute rest periods in between. Utilizing a circuit training program, bootcamp offers a quick, high intensity, full body workout that tones muscle and burns calories.
Each of these group programs have already begun their classes for the semester on Sept. 15, but there is no registration necessary, and new students are welcome anytime.
Classes are offered at different points during the week in order to try to accommodate student schedules, with functional movement being held on Thursdays at 11 a.m. in room D133, cardio-boxing on Tuesdays at 12 p.m. in room D133, and bootcamp on Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. in room D133.
The Sport and Fitness Center also offers a student personal training program where students can meet one on one with a student personal trainer. The trainers are usually movement science majors, although sometimes they include recent graduates as well.
The program consists of meeting with a student personal trainer for one hour a week for 10 weeks. With their trainers, students will create and work to meet specific personal fitness goals. These programs are generally for beginners, but all skill levels are accepted. All programs are supervised by Rob Parker, MS CSCS NSCA PT.
Parker says that they are always looking for new participants at the Fitness Center, and welcome anyone to come in and use the equipment with a valid school ID.
In order to draw some of these new members in, the program offers small incentives for achieving various workout goals through the 10 weeks. Students can win prizes such as headphones, a backpack or a Northern Essex sweatshirt. Parker hopes that these small incentives at the beginning will entice exercisers to stick with the program, and the fitness improvements will then speak for themselves.
Students who are interested in the student personal training program are encouraged to contact Rob Parker at (978) 556-3823 or stop by the Sport and Fitness Center in room D133 on the Haverhill campus.
One professor at the college has found an interesting way to get students involved with the Sports and Fitness Center. Professor Liliana Brand is a math professor who offers bonus points to students in her classes if they go and utilize the Sport and Fitness Center. This includes group programs, the student personal training programs, or just using the gym and the facilities at leisure. Twenty five visits to the gym in the semester will earn a student the bonus points from Brand.
One student in one of Professor Brand’s calculus II classes, Chienell Coleman, is certainly enthused by the prospect of getting bonus points simply for getting exercise.
Coleman said, “Not only is she strengthening our minds in class, she is encouraging us to strengthen our bodies as well.”
Rob Parker is also a fan of Brand’s plan to get students to use the Sport and Fitness Center.
When asked about the bonus points opportunity, Parker said, “S=she really values the health benefits, and also getting students involved on campus, which is great for us.”
Regular open gym hours for the fall semester are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Mon. through Thurs., and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday.
Students who may be interested in being active on campus but don’t want to use the actual gym can participate in intramural sports. Sports such as soccer, flag football, volleyball and others are played throughout the week on the field in the courtyard outside of the Sport and Fitness Center and Spurk Building. Just last Friday, a group of 16 students of all backgrounds and genders organized themselves, picked teams, and had an hour-long soccer match on the field.
Students interested in playing or signing up for intramural sports should visit the recreation/intramurals bulletin board in the main lobby of the Sport and Fitness Center on Haverhill campus. All students are encouraged to participate.
The President’s Running Club held its first meeting on Monday, Sept. 22 at noon in the Sport and Fitness Center. The club is run by NECC President Lane Glenn and Coach Jeff Bickford, who does the Couch to 5k portion of the club. The great thing about the running club is the diversity of exercise options it offers to its members, students or staff who are not runners already. They can acquire the necessary conditioning and experience by participating in the Couch to 5k with Bickford, and seasoned runners can keep training for a 5k race with Glenn.
The Campus Classic is run in the spring at NECC, scheduled for May 2 2015. It is a 5k and Fun Run certified by USATF, and has been made a part of the Super Iron Series by the Merrimack Valley Striders. The Campus Classic is great because proceeds benefit the NECC Annual Fund which provides support for student scholarships and academic programs. The President’s Running Club is a wonderful way of preparing its members for the annual race in the spring, especially after they complete the Feaster Five on Nov. 27.
The President’s Running Club has been in operation for 3 years, since the beginning of 2011. “We not only want people academically fit but physically fit as well,” said Glenn. “We seem to have a group of 30 or so people each semester and we get a lot of new people. People accomplish their first mile or other goals,” said Bickford. The Couch to 5k participants have an opportunity to achieve a goal they might not have thought themselves capable of through the club. “I get to enjoy that because I get people that don’t think they can run, but they become runners.” said Bickford.
Bickford said of a student last semester, “She was going out and thinking she wouldn’t be able to do it. By then end she moved right up next to the runners. Everyone always surprises themselves if they’ve never run before.”
Lane Glenn and Jeff Bickford speaking at the first meeting of the President’s Running Club, Photo Credit Rebecca Westerman | NECC ObserverThe club schedule was distributed on the first meeting. Intermediate and advanced runners received a separate handout schedule and the Couch to 5k runners got a schedule from Cool Running detailing a workout description, a personal goals sheet and a weekly routine. Both routines include running tips, for more advanced runners, available here, and for beginners, here. The “Campus Loop” is a 1.05 mile lap around campus, mostly on sidewalks. In the duration of the club participants will have the opportunity to run through Kenoza Lake, which is 4.64 miles.
This semester there is a brand new branch of the club being introduced, which is a walking club run by Diana Mele, Professor of Deaf Student and Human Services. This is a brand new endeavor for the President’s Running Club for people who want to eventually run but need to take a slower inital pace. “We’re gonna walk until we can run,” said Mele. Each semester the club tries to incorporate something new to give a broader range of students and faculty members a chance to be a part of the club.
Any student or faculty member can join the running club, as long as they show up on time and wear appropriate clothing to be active in. Locker rooms are available in the Sport and Fitness Center for changing before and after runs, lockers are also available for personal belongings and members are encouraged to bring their own locks or get assigned a locker by contacting Maria Hom at mhom@necc.mass.edu. Members of the club get a free entry to the Feaster Five Race if they run 5 out of the 10 scheduled weeks and get a club -shirt. The group meets every Monday at noon at the Health and Fitness Center from Sept. 22 to Nov. 27.
For any questions about the President’s Running Club, contact Maureen Saliba at msaliba@necc.mass.edu, for information on the Couch to 5k portion contact Jeff Bickford at jbickford@necc.mass.edu and for information about the Walking Club contact Diana Mele at dmele@necc.mass.edu.
The President’s Running Club had its first meeting this fall on Monday, Sept. 22. Story here
President Lane Glenn running with two members of the advanced group on the first meeting of the President’s Running Club, Fall 2014. Photo by Rebecca Westerman | NECC ObserverCoach Jeff Bickford walking with the Couch to 5K group on the first meeting of the President’s Running Club, Fall 2014. Photo by Rebecca Westerman | NECC ObserverCoach Jeff Bickford walking with an NECC student on the first meeting of the President’s Running Club, Fall 2014. Photo by Rebecca Westerman | NECC ObserverPresident Lane Glenn addresses a group of runners at the first meeting of the President’s Running Club, Fall 2014. Photo by Rebecca Westerman | NECC ObserverPresident Lane Glenn addressing a group at the first meeting of the President’s Running Club, Fall 2014. Photo by Rebecca Westerman | NECC ObserverLane Glenn and Jeff Bickford speaking at the first meeting of the President’s Running Club, Photo Credit Rebecca Westerman | NECC Observer
An NECC art student displays her work. | NECC Observer
The Haverhill Public Library is currently hosting an art exhibit featuring original graphic novels created by NECC students.
The work was produced during the spring 2014 semester class entitled “Art and Literature of the Graphic Novel,” a learning community course co-taught by professors Ginger Hurajt and Marc Mannheimer.
In this project, students wrote and illustrated short graphic stories, which were then compiled into the first volume of “Tales From the Valley.”
This 44 page book is a collection of 21 of these stories and was produced and published on the Haverhill campus.
“The hardest part was learning to transfer what you’ve written into a picture that still tells the same story,” said Benjamin Pintor.
He has been doodling illustrations for as long as he can remember, though he previously had little experience with writing his own story for which to provide the illustration.
Pintor is currently majoring in general studies with a focus on art and industrial design. He enjoyed the project and plans to pursue a career that allows him to use his artistic talent.
Also featured is Dylan McDougall, an art major who was inspired at a very young age by a brother who was always drawing, as well as by a love for drawing,
McDougall found poetry to be an invaluable outlet when experiencing difficult times throughout his life.
McDougall is currently preparing to launch his own original clothing line called “Smile Just Because,” which will feature designs transferred to t-shirts and hats, for starters.
While he is not clear about exactly what his long term career plans are, he said “my biggest goal is to change the world.”
Currently a liberal arts major, Yosmarlin Infante didn’t realize she could draw until she took a high school art class at the age of 14.
As she improved, she began to look for ways to incorporate her love of drawing and her love of film.
Her favorite part of the class is that she finally learned how drawing can be connected to her career plans.
“As an aspiring film producer, I can use my own storyboards to pitch my own ideas.” she said. Infante plans to transfer to the film program at Fitchburg State College after graduation.
A reception was held on Sept. 11, 5 to 7 p.m. in the library’s Johnson Auditorium, allowing visitors to purchase the book and meet the artists and view the storyboards they created.
Artwork will remain on display along the second floor gallery at the Haverhill Public Library until Sept. 30.
To purchase a book for $5, or for more information, contact Marc Mannheimer at mmannheimer@necc.mass.edu.
NECC student Rob Wormald served in the military before becoming a philosophy major Photo courtesy of Rob Wormald
At NECC there are many people from all walks of life and with different experiences to bring to the table.
Rob Wormald, a philosophy major, served in the United States military. Wormald was a Reconassiance Marine with the rank of Sergeant (E-5) in the Marine Corps, with 2D Reconassiance Battalion, Charlie Company. He came back to NECC after initially enrolling at age 18, and then going off to the Marine Corps.
“I got out of high school in 2005, I came here for a semester before I got into the military and it’s just funny coming back because I see how I used to be, you know when I was 18,” Wormald said.
A lot has changed for Wormald since that one semester, and after gaining a ton of life experiences in the military.
“It’s an adjustment for sure, just the way that you interact with people and like the way I could talk in the military is not the way that I could talk now — and it should be like that, too, because it’s a different animal.
In the military you’re judged more on what you’re capable of doing and what you have done, and your presentation is really kind of on the back burner if you’re swearing all the time and stuff. “It’s like a huge locker room,” Wormald said.
On a college campus, everyone is on an even playing field — which is a huge adjustment for a sergeant, coming from a rank where respect is granted automatically.
“It doesn’t matter what you did in the military. No one cares, and they shouldn’t. Not that they don’t care that you did it, but you chose to do it.”
Wormald said, “No one forces you, you weren’t drafted and it’s just hard coming from five years of that and I was a sergeant, I was an E-5 so you have a little bit of power as far as when you’re there. In the respect you should be back in the real world, you shouldn’t just get that (respect) just because you’re in the military.”
Because of his habits of higher rank, Wormald has had to fight a tendency to demand more respect of his peers and professors than is given to the general student body.
He stressed that he learned many valuable life skills from his time in the military, and the good qualities he learned are a meaningful advantage in his school life. But it’s important to be able to leave the other stuff behind.
“In all honesty, anything I did in the military doesn’t really carry over as far as I’m concerned, unless you talk about work ethic, maturity, stuff like that — which is good, but I shouldn’t get an A because I was in the military.”
One of the biggest challenges Wormald has faced in coming back to NECC is some professors have not quite been understanding of the adjustment involved in coming back to civilian life.
“I’m not gonna let someone, just because they’re a professor, think that they’re above me and show me the same respect that I’m showing you. Good professors understand that it’s how you carry yourself. They may not know you’re a veteran but the way you address them when talking to them personally ,emails and stuff. I come to school like it’s a job.”
School in many respects is preparing its students for careers, and treating school like a job is key for success. Wormald said that if he hadn’t spent time in the military before coming to NECC, “it would definitely be different. [In the military,] a lot of it is rank structure and stuff like that, and luckily the unit I was with, rank obviously mattered, but it was more about what you brought to the table to make your platoon better and your battalion better.”
This has helped Wormald cope with professors who weren’t respectful in the way he felt they ought to have been.
“Don’t be afraid to ask them questions, don’t take what they say for face value if you have a question. Don’t be afraid to challenge them,” Wormald said.
“It’s funny, it was my first day at NECC coming back. The professor sets this table of what you think school is gonna be like. My first class, the teacher that I had for that class she had said something about wherever she was from didn’t have an army so they had no blood on their hands. And that was my first like, ‘welcome to college,’ and I’m sitting there thinking I got buddies that died.”
Situations like this are just part of the shift from military life to that of a college student.
Both students and professors have a variety ideas, morals, and ways of thinking — and exploring those different experiences is part of what makes college both challenging and frustrating.
Wormald said that he can usually tell within the first day of class whether a professor’s style and ideals meshes with his own.
“How are you going to set the tone for any veteran, and obviously you’re right there I’m already gonna have my defenses up and now it’s like, ‘so that’s how it’s going to be,’ and I thought every professor was going to be like that until I really got to know them.”
Despite the rough start, Wormald is very happy at NECC.
“I think NECC is a great school. First of all, the improvements they’ve made, when I was first here the tech center wasn’t here and all that stuff it’s a lot of what you make of it.
I think NECC does a great job to where other than one or two professors I’ve had, they’ve all been very good as far as even if they disagree with my views they aren’t disrespectful.”
A roadblock for many students is fear of sounding unintelligent in a classroom setting or not having those skills to articulate themselves in a manner where they will be understood.
“Just because someone can’t talk the greatest in a public setting doesn’t mean they’re not intelligent. They just don’t have those skills yet to get their point across.”
“I’ve had some classes with people that knew me outside of NECC and when they’re in class they’re like ‘wow, you’re actually pretty intelligent!’”
The GI bill is a huge help to all veterans. When a person completes their military service, they fill out the Veteran Action Form or VON app, and they are provided 36 months of school.
The GI bill will cover many different types of schools and programs, including technical schools, community colleges and four year colleges.
The veteran then submits the Veteran Action Form. The amount a veteran gets for other things like housing depends on where they are located, but school is almost always entirely covered. Parts of the GI Bill include tuition, book stipends, and BAH or basic housing allowance depending on location. If schooling is not entirely covered by the GI bill, a veteran can contact the Yellow Ribbon Project and organizations like it for further aid in school or other services.
“I use the GI bill, so I don’t have to pay anything but do two years here, save your money and go wherever you want. I think just the environment, the people I’ve worked with as far as in classes and stuff like that, is pretty good.”
Wormald highly recommends that any veteran returning from serving in the military should come to school, even if they don’t know what they want to do. It can help veterans reacclimate to civilian life.
“The biggest adjustment is realizing the military thing is over. Take the good stuff with you, the work ethic, the memories, the maturity; but the other stuff you gotta just leave behind. That’s the hardest part because you’re coming from somewhere you mattered if you had an opinion, people are gonna listen.
Now it’s, like, not that people won’t listen but you’re just a student just like everybody else.” One struggle Wormald faces is watching other students in some of his classes not taking it as seriously as himself especially when it becomes distracting to his own learning experiences.
“You gotta have respect for your instructors, and they will show it to you back. That’s the biggest thing, the way you come off. If I see someone texting or something like that near me and that’s distracting me then I’m gonna tell you, because now you’re taking away from my learning. If you don’t wanna learn go sleep in your car; I don’t really care.”
A turning point in Wormald’s academic career came in one of his classes where he was to give a presentation and the girl sitting near him under her breath to a friend mentioned how she was nervous to present after him.
This is a big deal for someone who was previously not comfortable articulating his thoughts in a classroom setting or presentation.
“It was actually pretty cool because I was in one of my classes, and I was supposed to do a presentation, and I remember one of the girls sitting behind me was like ‘oh I don’t want to go after him’ (referencing Wormald) because you know, like I said I’m able to really articulate myself. I took that as a compliment because I do realize how far I’ve come.”
NECC will host the New England Association of College Admissions Counselors (NEACAC) College Fair on Sunday, Sept. 21 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Representatives from over 150 colleges and universities will be in the Sport and Fitness Center on Haverhill Campus with information about programs and enrollment.
Contact Jill Palermo of enrollment services at (978) 556-3735 or at jpalermo@necc.mass.edu with any questions.
Students who attend NECC have to have health insurance. If a student does not have health insurance through work, family or personal expense, they have to enroll in the health insurance plan provided by NECC.
NECC sponsored health insurance costs 1,640 for the 2014-2015 policy year. If students don’t waive the health insurance online under “Waive My Health Insurance,” on their NECC student account, the fee will automatically be charged along with tuition.
The company providing the insurance is Arthur J. Gallagher and Co. More information can be found at https://www.gallagherstudent.com/students/student-home.php?idField=1211 The website outlines the benefits and plans, what doctors take Gallagher student insurance, health resources and how to file claims.
An email explaining NECC health insurance should have been sent to all students who enrolled containing information on what is covered, FAQ and important contact information.
Students could look at different available clubs at the campus life fair.
The College Life and Campus Services fair was a sea of blue, yellow and white
The event, hosted by NECC’s Student Engagement Center on Sept. 10, aims to help students learn about the various services, activities and clubs at NECC. It was very well attended.
The fair helps students get accustomed with their new college and do their best in the new environment. “Data says if students are connected to their college they are more likely to succeed,” said Dina Brown the Director of Student Engagement.
Students can speak with representatives from clubs, organizations or services they may be interested in, and receive more information. While visiting at the different tables the students even receive freebies from the advisors at the tables.
The Tutoring Center had their entire schedule posted at their table, with all the dates and times for certain programs they can help with. Selena Torres, a criminal psychology major, was happy to find this table. “It’s great to know when they are available ahead of time so I can work it into my schedule,” said Torres.
Jasmine Polanco, a liberal arts major, was working the Presidential Student Ambassador table. She said, “It is so much fun teaching all the new students about all the fun that can be had at Northern Essex, the students are finding it very helpful, they like how interactive it is with all the clubs.”
One of the popular tables had students pose for a picture, which was put on a cereal box.
Students could be the fourth member of Snap, Crackle and Pop from Rice Krispies.
“People love the cereal box photos and the air brush pennants, the staff making them work very quickly and are very creative with what they are doing, and everyone is laughing and enjoying the final product,” said Donna Passemato, an exercise science major.
Duane Sherman, a creative writing major, is new to the school this semester. It was the first event he attended at NECC as a new student and was very happy to see everything that NECC has to offer. “It’s a great way to get acquainted with a new campus.” Sherman had not yet signed up for any clubs but was still looking around and receiving all the information and freebies the clubs and organizations were giving away.
Robert Ewusi, an accounting major, has volunteered at the fair for the past three years and really enjoys helping out the students. Ewusi said he expects that is going to help a lot of great things happen for students.
Some additional information students could receive at the fair were internships now offered at NECC, Top Notch Players, The Gay Straight Alliance, jobs at UPS and more.
While visiting all the representatives students could also collect stickers for a bingo board and when it was filled enter in a drawing for a special prize. There also were hamburgers and hotdogs from “Dina’s BBQ” and free slush.
“I collected all the stickers and got to enter the drawing” said, Joshephine Sebagisha a biology major. Students seemed to have a lot of fun collecting the stickers. “My friend and I kept comparing to see who was going to fill their card first,’ said Sebagisha.
