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Arts and Entertainment, Home Page News Bytes

Pandemic inspires new forms of creative collaboration

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Although creative collaboration has become more difficult as a result of restrictions on gathering ,the additional time that has arisen for many over the past year has created an oppurtunity to explore interests and hobbies there wasn’t time for before.

Though collaboration and in person endeavours have become more difficult, social media has provided an outlet for those wishing tolearn more about different pastimes and connect with people already in these communities and subcultures.

While the situation has been damaging for many, some have found it to be a beneficial experience thats help them both stay entertained and grow as people.

Karina Rivera had had a passing interest in photography but found she never had the time to pursue it before the Covid pandemic and the subsequent lockdown that occurred in 2020.

With this time she found she was able to both practice and connect with other people around her shehadn’t previously met with the same interest.

“I couldn’t really go anywhere too public so I started off just taking pictures in my neighborhood. Lots of birds and trees. Than I brought thepictures to people I met online and they gave me advice on how to edit them digitally. It reall ytaught me alot,” she said.

Once restrictions started loosening up she started going to a wider array oflocations, mainly outdoors.

Recently she was able to meet a friend she’d met on Instagram in a state park and take pictures with her.

“I’m really glad I spent my time the way I did. I met so many new people and learned things I never would’ve been aware of otherwise,” she said. ” I’m gonna start branching out further in the future, they’re a couple other people I wanna meet up with soon.”

A few music scenes have also gone through a rebirth of sorts as a result of the increased attention payed to music production through the pandemic.

Many have taken to learning a new instrument or creating music with the time they have to do so.

Some have even begun to take themselves seriously as musicians and attempt to build a following.

Altough collaboration had to be done digitally, some were able to meet and start projects with other musicians.

Logan Werner, a high school senior, had long dabbled in music and know how to play a few instruments, though he’d never gone to far in collaborating with anyone else before when it came to music production.

At first he bought the equipment needed and attempted to create music on his own but found he wasn’t skilled enough to do everything independently.

This led him to start participating in forums dedicated to finding and collaborating with other musicans online.

“I was pretty hesitant at first because I thought it’d be too hard to collaborate with people long distance, but eventually I realized it was probably a good idea,” he said. “I tried getting together with people I went to school with but my interests were a little too niche.”

He’s since met several musicians with whom he collaborates on a regular basis with.

“Meeting them’s taught me alot about production I wouldn’t have cared about before. I wasn’t experienced enough to do it all on my own,” he said. “Now I’m able to focus on what I want to focus on and not have to worry about the aspects I don’t know anything about. It saves me alot of time and in the long run I think it’ll make th eproject a lot better than it would’ve been otherwise.”

He continues to produce music and plans on eventually releasing his work in some capacity.

The opportunities provided by boredom and isolation over the course of the past year have proven to be not completely negative when it comes to the various interests and hobbies people have decided to immerse themselves in.

With more time that was once occupied by in person classes, many have found pastimes that will occupy and inspire them long after a return to social normalcy.

Features, Home Page News Bytes

A look into the mind and life of local artist Jay Tuccolo

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When reaching the final steps leading to his third flood office, a bombardment of color and sound encircles you. Hundreds of CD’s line the walls and records are stacked all around. Paintings and artwork surround the room, in a wash of beautiful greens, lazy yellows and bright blues. A soft hum reaches you from the record player in the corner, the psychedelic sounds of the Grateful Dead and the tender voice of Gerry Garcia bring a warming relaxation. He sits on a desk chair in front of three monitors, a box of pencils to his left and a crisp white page in front of him. As he begins to draw, his hand moves with the sounds of the Dead, and swirling loops and zig zags emerge on the page. He looks up with a hearty smile, eyes aglow with joy.

Jay Tuccolo was born in 1968 and has lived in Haverhill, Massachusetts his whole life. He has always been a passionate lover of art.

“I see myself as an alchemist in art. They teach you in art to focus on one thing but I want to explore everything and I use art as a tool of exploration,” professed Jay.

As a young, budding student artist, he was always drawn to record artwork and posters, and his love of music is what helped him discover and get involved in the world of graphic design.

While in high school he came across commercial art, and thought “Hey, somebody makes a living doing this stuff. I want to do this. There’s actually money to be made there. Having such a strong passion for art, wow, I could make a living and do this.”

Jay has dabbled in many artistic forms including drawing, painting, photography, digital imaging, etc. He really liked photography in high school as well, but at the time it was an extremely expensive profession to try and get into. Once he discovered commercial art and graphic design, he decided it would be much easier.

One of his first jobs was designing t-shirts. “I did a Magic Johnson t-shirt that sold over 50,000 units but I only got paid by the hour and never saw any of the profit because I was just an hourly employee,” confessed Tuccolo

He attended Fitchburg State University, then Fitchburg College, and graduated in 1990 Cum Laude with a bachelor of science in communication media with a graphic design specialty. He found his way into signage mostly by luck, the work force during this time really declined and white collar jobs were extremely hard to find, especially with what he wanted to do.

“It was the worst time in 90 years to get out of college and get a job. Literally had nothing,” Jay recalled. At one point, he considered walking away from graphic design altogether.

“I looked around at all my friends and they were doing so well and hadn’t gone to college, and I was like what did I do? Did I waste my time for nothing? It was quite demoralizing. But I ended up finding a fulltime job. I was lucky to get what I got and fell into the sign industry. Signage wasn’t really what I wanted but it was all that was available,” he divulged.

Jay found what he describes as a crappy job, at a little sign shop in Pelham, NH, and so began his career in the design and sign industry. Fast forward to today, he now works as an art director at Viewpoint Sign and Awning in Northborough, Ma. He began working there in the company’s infancy and he had the opportunity to shape their system and make it more successful, helping coordinate the infrastructure within the company. He performs managerial tasks including assigning jobs, keeping schedules, and maintaining status of tasks and projects.

“I bring new light to weaknesses or maybe strengths that could be embellished,” explained Jay. In a fast-paced work environment, with deadlines, the designers have little time to revisit work and be creative. Jay is able to review his employees’ work and help them unleash their potential, offering critiques along the way.

Tuccolo has worked on many projects over the 15 years he has been at Viewpoint. Many of the signs in Haverhill have been designed by himself and his team, including Dunkin Donuts and Papa Gino’s.

Jay still practices art at home where he is able to express his true creativity, without having to meet deadlines or expectations. It is one of his most beloved hobbies.

“I am going on five years now, almost six, of drawing every day,” said Tuccolo. He has come to realize that the process is just as, if not more important than, the product.

“Art helps us grow and pushes our minds. It lets people see the world in a way they never did before and allows them to be expanded in their own way,’ he remarked. Jay finds the exploration of art as the most exciting part and finds that people tend to focus too much on the finished product. Art has helped him learn to liberate himself from some of his anxiety in life as well. It has taught him that shooting for a masterpiece at every moment will lead to getting stuck and nothing done.

“With drawing, some days it comes very comfortable and some days it is clunky. Sometimes things work, and sometimes they don’t,” explained Jay.

Some of his great stresses in life come from conflict within communication with others. He works hard to not get caught up in the anxiety and not let it slow him down and to keep moving forwards. He has learned to feel the stress, let it come and let it pass. One of his favorite quotes that came to mind was by Carl Jung, “Hell is a door locked from the insides.” He explained how everyone’s prison is something they create from themselves, and that everyone has the ability to just unlock the door and walk out any day.

“It’s like a storm, you can die in it or hunker down and wait for the blue skies,” professed Jay. “You have to accept the peaks and valleys. That’s why I love art and the ability to use it as a tool of exploration of those highs and lows.”

Arts and Entertainment, Home Page News Bytes

A review of Shadow and Bone

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Shadow and Bone is a new fantasy series on Netflix, run by Eric Heisserer, adapted from Leigh Bardugo’s bestselling young adult Grishaverse novels. The series is loosely based on Tsarist Russia, building a story on a reeling, war torn kingdom. It follows the common chosen-one trope, following the adventures of an orphaned young woman, Alina, who comes to discover her magical abilities. The show is successful in building a compelling world that is both intriguing to newcomers and palatable for longtime followers of the series.

The show is presented in eight, hour long episodes, and while it does take a few episodes for it to find its footing, the show eventually becomes quite enthralling and notably binge worthy. Strong performances from Ben Barnes, who plays General Kirigian, a dark and twisted character, who has a much darker and twisted past, and Jessie Mei Li, who plays Alina, the heroine of the story, add to the chemistry of the series. Their difficult and provocative relationship gives the audience the often desired toxic yet seductive relationship people feel strangely drawn too.

Although the show attempts to give each of its many characters an appropriate amount of time and attention, it often feels either rushed or at the expense of others. There are times where it seems the focus is pulled away from the main story and shined upon what can only be described as a side mission, played out by Kaz (Freddy Carter), Inej (Amita Suman), and Jasper (Kit Young). Their storyline, of which is moderately interesting, distracts from the main plot following Alina, which caused her portions of the show to sometimes feel rushed and condensed. This may be in credit to the fact that the show runners decided to include the stories of two separate novels into one season.

The series was surprisingly quite successful in addressing racial tension and discrimination, which has been at the forefront of American minds for the past year. As subtly slipped into the plot as it was, it resonated throughout the entire eight-episode season. The main character, Alina, whose features resemble the people of Shu Han, a realm similar to China, is faced with resentment, racism, and disrespect a number of times. This ignorance poses not only an obstacle for her but offers the audience a blunt look at a familiar problem in the world today.

Shadow and Bone is a captivating and exciting show that is well worth the watch for those who enjoy fantasy. Strong character development and world building adds to the dynamic chemistry of the show. There are times where it feels a little rushed or underdeveloped but as a whole the show remains evenly paced and enjoyable.

Home Page News Bytes, Opinion

My story: A first-year student shares her experiences

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I wanted to do an extra credit story and I did not know what I wanted to do the story on. I figured all the news stories about the school probably have already been written and with it being the end of the semester I am somewhat fresh out of ideas. Then I got this idea to write a story about myself. Since I am a NECC student, and I can talk about my experiences here at the school seeing that it is my first year.

I decided to go back to school because I felt as though the world was changing and moving quickly. Moving quickly and advancing every day in technology and new innovations. It is obvious that the world is changing because we are doing things at a much faster rate than ever before, look at the vaccine that was created in less than a year. Because of the ever-changing fast pace that was going on it made me also realize the world as I used to know it, some of the technologies and ideas are obsolete and no longer exist. For me to stay relevant and on top of what’s going on in the world today I thought that now it be necessary to go back to school. I also thought that this is a way to keep up with changes and be in the know while improving my education. I knew that I would someday go back to school, but I did not know what for. I wanted to take courses that was meaningful and useful and that added value to life.

The major I chose to study was Communications/Public Relations. At first, I did not know what to expect but I was very excited. I had not been in school for a long time, so the school put me through some grueling aptitude tests to ensure that I was ready. I happily passed all my test, and I was ready to go.

I am a single divorced mother with two sons, their ages are 19 and 11. We were all going to school online in the midst of the pandemic. It was a little challenging at first trying to navigate through the school website, but I managed to find my way. Whenever I would pass in a paper and I would do very well on the paper it was very rewarding for me, often times I would cry. It was nice and I felt like I was accomplishing something. As a mom and going to school with my children, did not mean that I could neglect my motherly responsibilities. I had to make sure the cooking, the washing and the cleaning was done. My sons would complain if we were having soup and sandwiches for dinner. Children are quick to remind you if you are falling short of your motherly duties. As a mom I always make sure my kids are all set whether I have to leave the house for an appointment, work, Etc.

I loved all my classes and found the school to be incredibly supportive. When I asked the staff to assist me in a paper that I was writing such as if they were available for an interview, they all kindly accepted.

There were some challenges here and there for me personally, but I made it through. I learned so much. In my journalism class there was a section in the course on the amendments and when I saw the work, I thought “the amendments are going to be boring.” Well to my surprise I loved what I learned, and I feel like I am proficient in the First Amendment.

I like the online learning; it works for me because I have a busy schedule. It was important to organize and structure my time that way it would not get in the way of my schoolwork. Keeping focus is key when you are learning online and that is why it is important to have structure. There are so many things that beg for our attention that it is easy to get distracted.

All my studies made me feel as though, they pulled so much out of me as far as my life’s experiences and my journey. I took what I knew and applied it to what I have been learning and used the knowledge with completing some of my assignments. This is also where I could see growth in my life but from a different perspective.

There is so much to say but I will end with this, life has purpose, and we must seek to find it. It is always in important to have gratitude in life and not take things for granted. So many lives have been taken from us with this pandemic, that it is important to remember to be kind and considerate even when the majority is contrary. This has been an amazing semester and I am looking forward to continuing my studies here at NECC.

 

 

Home Page News Bytes, News

COVID-19 continues to have an impact on education

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The manner in which education has changed throughout the course of the Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the learning experience and the manner in which students go about receiving information from teachers and administration, and the method by which this information is relayed to them.
Without much, if any, physical presence on campus, both administration and students have had to adapt and find alternative methods to the traditional methods on information distribution.
Because of this, social media has become an increasingly important method through which the school itself can communicate and pass on information to students and the wider community.
Although Northern Essex Community College had an obvious online presence long before the pandemic, the approach the college took had to change as social media and the school’s website itself became far more important.
Both administrators and students can attest tothe changes that had to be made in order to cope with the conditions the situation necessitated,and the role digital communication played in ensuring information was passed along efficiently.
“‘I really wasn’t able to adjust because I wasn’t used to having class online at all, asking questions and communicating was way hard than I expected it to be,” said Lidiya Ryan.
Ryan had already enrolled for her first semester at NECC but soon found it to be a far more difficult format change than expected. While she expected it to be a routine change for her, she soon realized how radically different the two formats are from each other and the difficulties posed by only being able to communicate with professors in a digital format. \
“I used to like to ask a lot of questions after the class ended, and since now I could only email my professors it really wasn’t possible to do that anymore,” she said. “I don’t understand things as well when they’re explained through email.”
This led to greater difficulties completing the semester and her decision to pause taking classes until in-person learning resumed. “…I know I’ll finish, but right now I don’tthink I’d be able to finish my degree taking classes online,” she said.
Educators have also found difficulties when it comes to the online learning experience and has had to alter their teaching methods in order to better cope with students’ needs and home situations.
Valerie Wood, a fourth-grade teacher in Haverhill found the transition from in-person instruction to online instruction to be deeply disruptive to the learning experience and something  both she and her students had to overcome in order to make it through the year.
When asked how quickly she noticed a shift in the class atmosphere she said she could ‘notice the difference in her students immediately.
Absences became way more frequent and it was becoming harder to hol dtheir attention for any period of time, she said.
“I don’t blame them, they’re so many distractions at hom ethat don’t exist in a classroom,” she said. “I tried to keep lessons a little shorter than I normally would and utilized videos more than I had before.”
Although she was nervous about exposing students to social media she did create a class website with a forum feature so she could “give them an outlet to speak what’s on their mind, even if it’s in a pretty limited format.”
As time goes on and education returns to a normal format, both educators and students will be better able to judge and analyze the merits of online education and the downsides to its utilization.
While the pandemic necessitated the implementation of online education, it’s not the first time it’s been used and society will be better able to refine it and utilize it in a more impactful manner than it had been throughout the course of the pandemic.
While most are grateful for the return to normalcy, this change in education is important and will help experts analyze ways to improve education in the future
Features, Home Page News Bytes

Pandemic forced changes in social lives, interactions

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The conditions created by the Covid-19 pandemic and the isolation it necessitated has had a profound effect on the manner in which interactions take place and how people go about meeting and speaking to each other.
While in theory, social media would be a good supplement to the  lack of social interaction that took place over this period, this hasn’t necessarily been the consensus amongst all people.
Despite being the demographic most likely to use social media, young people especially have found this to not always be the case.
Speaking with them reveal sthe complex feelings they have when it comes to the benefits of social media and the impactsocial isolation has had.
Kaylee Ravell is a 20-year-old student whose experience throughout the pandemic resulted in a general disillusionment with digital communication and an increased appreciation for in-person interaction.
When asked how soon she noticed the change she described it as ‘happening pretty fast. About a month in I started to really feel crazy about the situation. I tried tostay in contact with everyone I knew from work and school but it wasn’t the same at all. My job shut down so I had nowhere to go for a while and started to feel a lot more depressed than I ever have before.”
She described her general feelings toward social media conversations; calling them “stale” and “emotionless.”
“When my work opened back up I was pretty happy to start seeing people on a daily basis again. I don’t think I’m the type of person that can go for long periods oftime without any type of interaction. In a way, it taught me how important physical communication is.”
As things slowly began to reopen she found herself with far more peace of mind and eventually felt as she’d returned to normalcy, despite the limitations still in place.
Others had a different experience, though noted the same issues within onlinec ommunication and the things it lacks and can’t provide.
“I liked it at first because I thought itwasn’t going to be much more than a break before things went back to how they were,” said Jack St-Hilaire.
St-Hilaire is a college student and also works at a grocery store when he can, so the thought of a brief reprieve from the work and in-person classes seemed like an appealing idea at first, considering most were unaware of how the pandemic was going to pan out when it started.
He found this not to be the case; “I didn’t talk to any of my friends because we couldn’t really make plans. I did way worse in my classes than I had before too because I couldn’t motivate myself at all. I like Instagram but talking to someone on it feels weird. It’s really hard to get any kind o fconversation off the ground. After a couple of days, I’d usually get bored and stop trying to kee pin touch with whoever I was talking to,” he said. “With me I have to have some type of physical outlet, i fwe’re not gonna go somewhere in person I’ll lose interest.”
Although many felt increasingly isolated on social media, some took it as an opportunity o connect with people they wouldn’t have met otherwise.
Sara Kaczmarczyk is a photographer and found it much easier to connect with others on Instagram than she had before. 
“It was ometimes lonely but I made some friends I wouldn’t have met if things were different,” she said. “I’m planning on meeting them in person soon. I never realized how many people there were around me I’d never met even though we have the same hobby. It was a good experience.”
While social conditions were different for everyone depending on temperament andsituation, the unique situation created out of necessity over the last year has been a valuable experience for many. Though not everyone viewed it as positive, it can help people reflect on theway communication is currently viewed and how that might change in the future
Features, Home Page News Bytes

Greatnes begins at home: A conversation with Noelia Figueroa

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It was to my honor and surprise when interviewing Noelia Figueroa did, I out find what great talent we had here on the NECC campus. Our initial contact was due to some issues I was experiencing when trying to register for my summer classes. It was very frustrating for me because I was contacting all the wrong people. 

When I spoke with Noelia via telephone after texting back and forth, she was not only professional, but she was empathetic towards my situation as well. As we discussed my concerns, she kept a peaceful and mild tone throughout the conversation, Noelia never allowed her voice to change or become elevated. Noelia then set me up with the right contact person for enrollment and she followed up with a text message and email to make sure that I had all the information that I needed for my Zoom call with my academic adviser.

Nevertheless, everything went off without a hitch and I killed two birds with one stone. Not only did I register for my summer classes but at that time I was able to register for my fall classes as well. 

But the Story does not end there. A few weeks later I decided to contact Noelia again and asked if I could do a story on her for my Journalism class, and she cordially agreed.

In the beginning of the interview, I asked Noelia what her position was here at NECC and she said, a College Navigator. Noelia then went on to explain what her position entailed and that she worked under the student support services which included working with the students one on one.

She said she loved working with the students one on one and helping the students with challenges. “I know what it is like to be a student and I know what I went through as a student, and I do not want anyone to have to go through what I went through. I want students to be successful,” said Noelia, “and this is the part of my job that I do not see as a job.” 

“When COVID-19 hit it was difficult transitioning because we had to figure out how to communicate with students without meeting with them face to face,” she said. “However, in the process of this I had a great support team, with great coworkers and supervisor and we worked together to come up with creative ways to accommodate the students. “The transition to online was difficult for students, it was about 50/50 especially the new students.”

Apart from the fact that not everyone can do online learning. Noelia went on to say that with the online classes she encourages her students with scheduling and managing their time that way they do not get behind in their work.  

I went on to ask Noelia in my interview with her if she thought that it was important to keep a positive attitude.

Noelia said, she was big on positivity and that positivity translates for her into the practice of never giving up.

eing positive is a coping mechanism Noelia went on to say, and that it is important to practice being positive. “I look for the positives every day despite the challenges with the COVID-19, I found something positive to hold onto every day,” she said. 

Tell me about yourself I said to Noelia, and that is when she let me know that she was inducted into the Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2019, here at NECC. 

“I was a two-time National Champion,” she said. “I was inducted along with the men. The school had never done anything like this before as far as a community college, this was the first ceremony. “

Noelia was excited about being awarded here at the school she felt that she was able to represent women at a high capacity.  

Not only is she a talent in track and field but her skills with how she communicates and interacts with people will take her a long way. It’s also nice to know that as a student here at NECC we have faculty and staff that really care about the students. 

 

 

 

Campus Life, Home Page News Bytes

Success stories behind the pandemic: NECC’s financial aid department

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Success Stories Behind the Pandemic    There have been so many adjustments taking place here at the school due to the pandemic. In every area and in different departments that I decided to check in on the Financial Aid department to find out how things were going with them amidst the transition.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Orquidea Taveras Sr. Financial Aid Counselor.

Orquidea said the transition was challenging at first working from home. It was even more difficult for the students because the students were used to walking into the office and they could speak with a financial aid counselor one on one. Prior to COVID-19, there was a lot of traffic in the office, Orquidea says.

With the office transitions and the financial aid department having to work online it helped the students to become more independent instead of walking into the office, she said.

I asked Orquidea if student enrollment was down because of the pandemic, and she said that enrollment did suffer some but that we are one of the schools that transitioned very well in the pandemic.

The numbers were not as good as they were before the pandemic, but they were not that bad either. A lot of people did not go to school in the fall because of the constraints however, she says the future looks very good.

The positives that Orquidea saw in all the changes is that the school was able to help students who did not have or were not able to afford a laptop, get one.

Orquidea sees the laptop program as one of the success stories of the school despite the pandemic.

The laptop program was a program that the school initially had in place to help students who did not have a computer.

The program would lend the laptops out to the students however they would run into trouble when they ran out of computers to give out.

They would also run into problems when the students did not meet the requirements under the lending program.

She said, the monies that came from the Cares Act helped students. Students that came out of high school did not have a computer and “we as college wanted to do something about it,” she said.

Orquidea credited the laptop program as an enormous success, and she said that it was very much needed.

Home Page Featured News, News

Students share diverse opinions on college’s vaccine policy

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Editor’s Note: The 15 community colleges in Massachusetts announced Sept. 20 that there will be a vaccine requirement for students, faculty and staff starting in January 2022. Students who are not vaccinated will be able to take online courses. Read the full announcement here: https://www.necc.mass.edu/current-students/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/home/COVID_Statement_from_Presidents-092021.pdf.

The Observer is interested in hearing your thoughts about this requirement. Get in touch with us at observer@necc.mass.edu.

NECC will hold a free vaccine clinic on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses on Sept. 29 from 8 a.m. to noon.  For more information, visit https://www.necc.mass.edu/newsroom/2021/09/23/necc-announces-pop-up-vaccination-clinics/.

The following is a story about students’ opinions on the college’s vaccine policies from the spring. The Observer plans to follow up soon with another article about the new requirement. 

Just as the population of NECC’s students are diverse, so are their opinions about NECC’s  decision not to require the COVID-19 vaccine to take in-person classes next semester. Some say they support the idea, while others say they would feel better knowing the people around them are vaccinated.

On April 29, NECC president Lane Glenn sent an email to inform students of the school’s decision. In the email, Glenn talked about how the college came to their decision.

He said, “[the students] who already face the greatest barriers to their education and to getting vaccinated, and who need us the most, were once again beginning to hear a message from expensive, selective, residential universities that did not apply to them, and we wanted them to know they would be welcome on our campuses.”

He also said that at the time of the email, all of the schools requiring vaccination have dormitories. NECC does not have students living on campus.

The college already requires that full time students be vaccinated for meningitis, the seasonal flu, measles, mumps, and rubella; and tetanus.

However, NECC is strongly encouraging students and employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Zoey Lauria, a 20-year-old Science Biology alumni and STEM employee at NECC, said that while she assumes most people will be vaccinated by Fall, “I do wish it was a mandate like it is at other colleges.”

She said that while she acknowledges that vaccine access is disproportionately affecting impoverished and minority communities as Glenn stated, the fact that NECC has a vaccine clinic on campus means that “[mandating the vaccine] shouldn’t be leaving anyone out.” Lauria is fully vaccinated herself.

NECC worked with the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center to open a vaccine clinic on NECC’s Lawrence campus. It is located at the Dimitry building, 45 Franklin St. in Lawrence, and is open to the public.

Students can sign up for appointments by calling 978-686-6029.

Zachary Cutter, a 22-year-old Journalism major, said he thinks going to campus “will be safe to an extent if some of the precautions [are] followed.”

Cutter said he doesn’t think the vaccine should be required because so many people are voluntarily choosing to get vaccinated. Cutter himself is fully vaccinated.

Matheus Batista, a 19-year-old Exploratory Student at NECC, said he thinks allowing more people on campus without requiring vaccination is a bad idea until “we know most of the population is vaccinated.”

However, he said that if the ones at most risk are fully vaccinated, he “does not see the problem.”

Batista, who has already gotten his first dose, said he wouldn’t be going back to campus until he feels more certain that the vaccine is effective.