All posts by Observer Staff

Features

COVID-19 hits home: What public service looks like during a pandemic

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Joshua Alba
Joshua Alba Isae Grullon, Features Editor

Joshua Alba, 36, is a Lawrence resident, and a Raíz Organizer for Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts. Alba also attended NECC but was unable to graduate due to financial reasons. He has since “focused on working specifically to help create justice in our community.” 

Alba also serves on the Lawrence School Committee for District D. During the COVID-19 pandemic Alba has used his role as a school committee member to help in the community. 

“I support the Lawrence Public Schools and leadership is disseminating information, relaying shortfalls, ensuring open democratic participation for our community,” he said via Facebook Messenger. 

He has been successful in communicating via social media as well as email, phone calls and text messaging. Video conferencing software like Zoom and BlueJeans have also been helpful in working from home.  

Alba’s sense of public service remains strong during this coronavirus pandemic. “I decided to help as soon as I understood that it was a serious concern after having a medical briefing at my job on our new patient in-take protocols, then being told to work from home,” he said.  He’s been sharing information about resources available across the city and state such as food, unemployment, and hygiene.  

In the effort to further help the community, Alba is part of an initiative to launch a mutual aid network called the Greater Lawrence Mutual Aid Network. The network will “help funnel information and resources to the most marginalized in our community, the undocumented, unsheltered, and others,” said Alba. More information on the Greater Lawrence Mutual Aid Network can be found by visiting their Facebook group page.  

Alba understands all too well the seriousness of COVID-19. “I am able to help remotely,” he said. “I actually need to, because I am especially vulnerable to COVID-19, as I have asthma, and this virus attacks the lungs.” 

Assistance has been well received by the residents of Lawrence however, feedback remains very limited.  

“There is the expressed demand for more services for our most vulnerable. We are concerned for safety, of course, as the city and others scale up and streamline services,” aid Alba, “… we’re working on getting hand sanitizer to the unsheltered, right now.” 

Alba urges those who can, to stay home as much as possible. He also suggests that “those who live by themselves, who practice good social distancing and hygiene, to contact the city and see how they can volunteer.” For more information on how you can help in the city, visit their website at www.cityoflawrence.com 

Campus Life

Speech-A-Palooza: The show must go on

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In light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, Northern Essex Community College’s Principles of Public Relations class has concluded that the sixth annual public speaking event, Speech-A-Palooza, will be held completely virtually over three days from April 22 through April 24 on social media platforms including Facebook and YouTube.
The Principles of Public Relations class had been working from the beginning of the 2020 spring semester to plan Speech-A-Palooza which has taken place on the Haverhill Campus for the past five years.
However, due to the recent actions put in place involving social distancing and the college’s closing in cooperation with social distancing, it left the class wondering if the event would still go on.
Professor David Rattigan, proposed to the class that they continue on with the event strictly online and use it as a learning opportunity. The class, not wanting to have put in all this work in vain, ate up the idea and are making arrangements to host the first ever online Speech-A-Palooza. 
Over multiple Zoom meetings, a video chat platform where all NECC classes are being held, the class has taken the opportunity to make the event a success. 
Event production member, Evan O’Connell said, “To be honest, Speech-A-Palooza might benefit from moving from in-person on campus to an online forum.  We are no longer focused on getting people in the door but instead now focused on getting people to watch the videos online.”  
O’Connell’s job includes reaching out to the media, like radio stations, TV stations, and newspapers, in an effort to get coverage of the event. “There has been significant coverage in the media about how colleges and students are adapting to virtual learning due to COVID-19.
We can use our experiences to leverage additional coverage for Speech-A-Palooza,” O’Connell continued.
Andrew Venditti, member of the Executive Committee of the event, had been in contact with the charity on the campus before the event was moved online. After the transition, Venditti continued to work with them and was introduced to the Emergency Fund that the college has set up.
The fund will cover laptop and/or internet access for online learning, tuition assistance and stipends (should students now be food insecure because of lost wages) and other needs that have come up because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 “We thought that Speech-A-Palooza would be a good opportunity and platform to spread awareness of NECC’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund,” Venditti said.
The event will continue to be put together solely by the students, and videos that are uploaded will be linked on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
Sports

Stratton returns as basketball coach

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The love of the game is something we hear a lot in the sports world, but only few can say they have seen others show this type of love on an everyday scale. Here at NECC we have some very dedicated staff members that work hard making sure think that NECC is a great place to grow and learn on and off the field.

One guy who is very known for his contributions across the Haverhill landscape and has a respected basketball rep is new men’s basketball coach Darren Stratton. Stratton will be taking over for Joe Tardif who took over for Stratton over the course of a few years and will inherit a team whose last year record was a blistering 5- 20.

Many people would probably look elsewhere for a coaching job, but Stratton sees the community college game as his niche in the market and plans on making an impact by focusing on all the little details from day one.

When asked about the long Hitaus from JUCO basketball, Stratton says “I came back because I missed the game and being able to help those guys in my community. Yes, I have been volunteering since my time off to help coaches but being able to give those community college guys a chance, some a second and third is something I truly miss.”

Now back in his first season in 6 years, the Knights have missed the playoffs the last 2 years and high player turnover rate has been an issue when coming into the second half of a season.

Juco players come and go, and this year will be no different with a total of 5 out of the 9 players leaving this year.

It all seems to be familiar to a vet like Stratton who says “I always have high expectations no matter what. Last year team lacked depth which helped lose some games on the defensive side of the ball, but that will change with more in-depth recruitment this summer. Also lack of shooting killed us down the stretch last year as teams went into zone defense early, but if I was to take something from the team this year it would be the attitude and the fight to get better every day despite the record.”

Coach Stratton plans on bringing his hard nose defense to NECC as well and this is his calling card throughout Region 21 play. “Yea some guys are offensive, but I’m a defensive guy.”, says Stratton.

“I plan on wearing teams down with my defensive schemes for a full 48 mins, but the challenge will be finding an offensive minded assistant coach that will help bring NECC to a new level.” Until all the coaching is figured out, Stratton has already had a few early commits and looks to use his local presence on the basketball scene to help attract some of the drifters.

It’s tough to say exactly what will happen with the Knights this upcoming basketball season because of the high player turnover rate and now factoring in the new corna virsus, but we do know that Coach Stratton will be there ready for war with his troops.

The love of anything can bring us through many ups and downs but in the end of the day, it’s what we love and makes us who we are. Coach Stratton, to say the least, loves the Merrimack Valley and many people love him back because of this and his dedication to hard work and fostering a winning culture where eve he goes.

From the deep basketball abyss to head honcho, the knight has been reborn and ready to lead NECC back to the top of region 21 basketball.

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What COVID-19 has taken from the class of 2020

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The Covid-19 Pandemic has affected every individual in quite a personal way. Almost everyone has experienced a loss in some shape or form. It has left many with uncertainty and fear for what’s to come next.

 A common loss that has been relevant for not only myself, but my friends as well, is being out of school and having to shift our way of learning to a virtually remote format.

Northern Essex community college has followed mandatory guidelines such as implementing social distancing, inevitably ending all in-person classes in order to ensure the safety of faculty and students.

 The transition of it all has been a process in which everyone is doing their best to get through the second half of the semester.

The pandemic has pushed everyone to find means of working around the problem and find respectable solutions that can apply to everyone.

The sudden drawback has left us undeniably unprepared and has been challenging for both teachers and students, nevertheless many accommodations are still being put into place.

 Being that this is my last semester at Northern Essex it has left many concerns for me, I had made the decision to fully apply my focus on my academic responsibilities, meaning I didn’t decide to pursue a job for the time being so that I could focus on all 5 of my classes and get the best possible grades.

I also purposely chose to take in-person courses because I’ve realized that’s the best way for me to learn and due to the unfortunate arrival of the pandemic I had to adjust to having all my courses be virtual at such a stressful time. I’m still going to try my best regardless of the circumstance in my last semester before I graduate.

 Graduation is another concern because like many other seniors at Northern Essex, we don’t know what’s to come of that moment. Being privileged to wear that cap and gown to then walk across a stage after hearing your name being called and knowing that you have completed a very significant milestone in your life, unfortunately just might not happen for us.

Will we even be able to walk across a stage to get our well deserved diplomas? Or how long are we going to have to wait until we even get them? Many students have been putting in all their effort to complete their courses and graduation is the reward for all those sleepless nights and determination. Are we ever going to get that reward now?

Editor’s Note: The college recently announced it would hold a virtual graduation ceremony in August.

 

 

Uncategorized

Students cope with pandemic

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Covid-19, also known as the “novel coronavirus”, is a disease currently ransacking the entire globe. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Covid-19 is “a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. 

So how exactly have the people in our community been affected by the coronavirus? With tons of businesses closing, school shutdowns, overwhelmed hospitals and stay at home advisories; this disease may hit a little closer to home than you think.

“My mother is waiting right now to go and get tested for the virus,” said Maille Dobson, 21, a student majoring in Liberal Arts at Northern Essex. “I can’t even leave my house because of everything that is going on. The only thing I can do is go to work, but I can’t see my friends or go do anything. It’s really boring all the time and the virus is scary.”

With the virus prevalent through our country, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker issued a stay at home advisory through May 4th, suggesting that people do their best to stay home. Although not enforced, it is highly recommended.

“I lost my full-time salaried position because of the virus,” said Sophia Marcus, 20, a Northern Essex Communications graduate. “My mom is a nurse and I’m worried about her safety. My dad has asthma which makes him high risk, so I worry about him too.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are a few factors which can make someone more at risk for covid-19. Some of these factors include people aged 65 or older, people who live in nursing homes/similar, people with lung or heart disease, and obese people.

With worries of job security and health, there are other concerns too. College students in multiple areas have been forced to move out of their dorms and transition to online classes, due to concerns of the virus spreading.

“I think the things that’s been most impactful for me was the fact I had to move out of my dorm and back home with no choice,” said Mckenzie Medeiros, 20, a student majoring in Biology at Northern Essex. “Online classes are taking a toll on me and I lack some of the initiative you need for them. I miss being able to go to the gym and go outside, it’s like life has come to a halt.”

It is true that for many people life has seemingly come to a halt. Here are some things you can do to lessen your chances of contracting Covid-19: Avoid coming into close contact with people, wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your face, stay home, clean and disinfect, according to the CDC.

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Students stay creative during COVID-19

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Life for the people of Northern Essex Community College and life for all college students has taken a sudden left turn in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With all US schools continuing the spring semester online this has affected students in a staggering amount of ways. Creativity is something that has been altered during this pandemic in many interesting ways.

Some people do better with more time to be creative while others lose the motivation to pursue their creative endeavors. The Observer reached out to multiple NECC students to hear how they are personally dealing with this obstacle.

Matthew Scharn is a music major at Northern Essex and is having trouble keeping up with his singing.

“The virus has definitely made being creative a lot more difficult since you can’t really go out and find inspiration everywhere, just the basic things you have lying around the house” he says.

There have been numerous orders from state governments for everyone to stay home unless you have a doctor’s appointment or need groceries. As Matthew says, this has the unintended result of artist’s losing out on the things that once inspired them.

Matt stated that he was enjoying nature more even while missing out on human contact, “I do find myself walking outside more often now and it’s very peaceful to say the least.” He says.

He finishes by talking about his desire to spread positivity, “I do find myself wanting to do some positive things such as starting a YouTube channel within the next couple weeks… I feel the need to finally put my singing out there on YouTube for others to hear at this troubling time”

Kaily Burke also spoke to the Observer about her creative output. She is a liberal arts major studying math at NECC.“At school, you don’t have Netflix and video games or the kind of media people consume while they put off creating. You have to be motivated to stop gawking at your screen and create something of your own in your free time.” she says.

Burke says she has an easier time being productive creatively at school for the reasons stated above. Although, Burke told The Observer that she has seen little difference in her creative output in quarantine so far.

Hopefully other people with a creative streak can say the same and have been able to motivat ethemselves to stay creative during this whole thing.

Sports

Spring sports season canceled

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On Thursday, March 12th, students got an email stating the college would be shut down at least until Monday, March 16th.

They told everyone that the goal was to try and re-open come April 7th but that plan didn’t work out and eventually, they would go the rest of the semester online.

This would be a new learning way for a lot of athletes who now would be losing the chance to play, as this also the end of spring sports. 

The process is now heading in a different direction with what is happening after sports have been canceled as they are planning to help the athletes with remote-learning and going forward with sports possibly coming back in the fall.

“We are at a point now where we are moving forward and looking to help our students in their new “remote learning” environment”, said Director of Athletics, Dan Blair.

The baseball team was scheduled to leave for Florida March 12 for a spring trip but that was ultimately canceled due to the pandemic. “The team was very upset, but the picture became clearer for them when sports at all levels nationally were canceled, they started to understand it more clearly” Blair said.

The timetable for sports to resume is not available as of now so Colleges must have a different way to recruit students instead of face to face interviews. “Coaches are still recruiting, we’re taking advantage of Zoom to have video calls in place of regular meetings. Schedules for fall and winter sports are almost completed” Blair said.

The spring semester may be over but going forward Northern Essex is still getting ready for the new semester coming in the fall.

 

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Innovative hub

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New space opens on Haverhill campus

The student hub buzzed with excitement as students and faculty made their way into the space. The bright windows overhead cast down light as people found food and activities spread throughout the hub. An open house took place on the second floor of the Student Center on April 24 in Haverhill. The open house showed students and faculty how resourceful the hub is and the services it provides. Light upbeat music played in the background as people explored the space. The feeling in the air was filled with optimism and positivity.

Each study cube has its own computer and small door that slides if privacy is desired. These can serve as quiet study areas for students. Each study cube also offers a long desk space and a comfortable chair. Printers are connected to the computers and free printing is offered. In the middle of the hub, there is a common space. This space consists of comfortable chairs and couches arranged so conversation is encouraged. There is also a long table in the middle with chairs lined around it. There is food located in the back for students and faculty who need refueling. The food consists of a PB&J pop-up, bagels, frozen dinners, and a small food closet. A microwave and toaster are provided!

Karen Hruska, the Director of Counseling and Psychological Services, helped to create and promote the space. “The idea is that we wanted what we call a ‘One Stop Center We know a lot of the academic classes are in the Spurk building. But we can’t have everything in there. Because we have financial aid, admissions, the registrar, and advising here in the Student Center, the college decided to pull in some of the other student support services into this building so hopefully students don’t have to bounce around too much,” she said. Having all of these services close by will help students navigate the school better.

This new hub is unique in its own ways. One of the reasons the hub was created was because of student feedback. “Part of what I think makes the hub unique is that the focus is really on providing supports to students, but also offering something they wanted. Students told us that they wanted more spaces to study and lounge,” Hruska said. The hub creates a space where students can relax during their busy school days. This is especially important now during the last couple weeks of school. Finals week is quickly approaching and this hub will be very useful during that time. Faculty is also welcomed at the hub. “There are three faculty flex cubes. Part of it is that we know that faculty, especially adjunct faculty, sometimes don’t have enough space where they can both meet with students as well as prepare for their classes. So there are three spaces up here that are identified for faculty to utilize as well. They can meet with students in the space,” Hruska stated. These faculty flex cubes are also hooked up to separate faculty printers nearby.

Something else that this space can be utilized for is small events. “During the lunch time hours there can be different events and programs, such as yoga and coffee. It is a space that people could utilize as long as it is a relatively quiet kind of event during that lunch time hour,” Hruska said. Although it might not be the best for clubs or large groups to get together, the space is still great for study groups and a hang out spot.

There are many student services that outline the walls of the hub. One of them is the PACE program. This program is a student support service. About 250 students are currently in the program. Kristen Arnold, the PACE Director at NECC, said that the program helps students “persist in college, graduate with their associate’s degree, and move on to four year colleges.” PACE also helps students get scholarship money. Arnold said that one of the biggest benefits of having the hub is that it will make it “easy to refer students to other services because they are close by.”

Another service near the hub are the College Navigators. This service helps support new students. The navigators visit classes and host pop up workshops for students. They want to support students and point them in the right direction. They help students find the resources they need. Kirsten Kortz, the Director of the Office of Transitional Support for New Students, said the hub lets students have a “quiet but social study area.” And that this space has “been missing from the college. This space has a very different feel from the library,” she said.

Some other important services near the hub are The Career Center and Civic Engagement. The Career Center helps students explore different career paths and helps them land internships. It also helps students find jobs and change what their career is if they want to. Civic Engagement helps coordinate volunteer work and connects students with community resources. Ashley Moore, who works in The Career Center and Civic Engagement, as well as Janel D’Agata-Lynch, The Civic Engagement, Service-Learning and Community Resources Coordinator, attended the open house for the hub. D’Agata-Lynch said that she also helps students with food insecurities and “life stuff that comes in the way of school.” She said the hub makes services “more visible to students” and it gives students an “informal setting” to explore them.

“We care. We want students to succeed. It’s okay to ask for help!” D’Agata-Lynch stated.

“The hub brings people together. I had this in college and am excited to see this!” Moore said enthusiastically.

The hub gives students a place to study and interact. It also gives them a place to embrace the services that are open to them. These services include: Student Government, Student Life, The Veterans Center, The PACE Program, College Navigator, International Students, The Career Center, Counseling, and Civic Engagement. It is also right across from the bookstore. There will be a clothing closet put up over the summer in the hub. The space will also be open during the summer. The hub is open during business hours. Students and faculty are encouraged to check the new space out and utilize it to its full potential.

Editorial, Home Page Featured News

Observer Editor-in-Chief bids adieu

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The first article I ever wrote was published in the Observer on October 18, 2017. The shortest of my portfolio, it nonetheless banished any doubt in my mind about my path and what I was setting out to accomplish.  I want to write, and I want to publish my work. Now, as time crunches in the last weeks of spring, and my classes wrap up for finals, my turn at the helm of this tenured and proud publication also draws to a close. Working as a correspondent, editor, and editor-in-chief have been proving grounds of my practice, and the end result is a portfolio that I am proud of and experiences that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I have found my professional  passion in opinion and editorial writing, which I will no doubt pursue wherever I next find myself. To explore and attempt to understand difficult social and political questions has been a driving goal of mine for a long time, but as I have delved into the issues facing our culture and the challenges that must be overcome, there has been a focusing of my explorations. In research, article and presentation I have focused on and addressed severe social ills from demonized masculinity to fake hate crimes that have divided American culture and led to the downward purity spiral that is rooted in a biased and ulteriorly motivated mass media.

As I part from this publication, I leave with this message for all newsprint, be it digital, broadcasted, or old-fashioned paper. The Truth is a loyal mistress, but also unforgiving. For the correspondent, editor, and publication that adheres as closely as possible to what is true and defensible, and makes amends to mistakes and breaches of practice, their credibility and reputations will grow with time. The Truth will prove to be their best defense against inevitable criticism. But for the gatekeeping mass media, wading in scandals and yellow journalism, their lost credibility cannot be regained. Once damned in the public eye, there is little hope for reclamation. One need only look to the social media presences of the old guard firms to see what crop they reap on the web. On CNN’s Youtube page, the very first video presented, as of the date of publication, has seven and a half thousand likes to fourteen thousand dislikes.

But this is not, as these same outlets claim, an attack on the free press. Rather, I firmly believe it to be the end of an era. The practice of Journalism being confined to a handful of multinational firms is being swept away by a tide of citizen journalists unlike the world has ever seen. There are a great many bold individuals the world over who are engaged in journalism at its finest, on the ground with camera in hand. From the Arab Spring, to Brexit, to the Berkeley Riots, it is private individuals sharing their own recorded content to the internet that are documenting and providing commentary on the events that affect themselves and others. The press has been returned to the free market, and publications will once again succeed or fail by their merits. As a result of this, network television channels are suddenly on a level playing field with every and any other publication. The seemingly perpetual downvoting and criticism are not a concerted effort of a single actor or party, but rather a grassroots rebellion against infotainment, stained and sullied that it is.

Even with this industry revolution underway, the state of Journalism can appear quite grim. While this may be so, nothing brings greater reassurance than my work done at the Observer. I have had the pleasure and privilege of working with and reading the contributions of many of my classmates, both editors and correspondents. The Observer has become a crew of vastly different perspectives, a balanced team able to write engaging and pertinent pieces across a wide range of topics. This honest and engaging environment extends beyond the newsroom as well.

Before attending NECC, I wondered what state of free speech I would find on campus. Would the college’s environment be receptive to challenging ideas and complex, difficult conversations? Two years later, I can safely say that NECC has proven not only to respect the principles of freedom of speech and expression, but to hold them in high regard. Events like the recent Speechapalooza reflect this respect for the principles that pushes culture forward, and to participate in and witness the passion and enthusiasm with which the event is received is in no small way refreshing.  The academic flame burns bright at this College, and I am glad and proud to have lent my work to it.

What comes next, I am not sure of yet. But these few years have been a growing experience in ways I could never have anticipated. But above all, I am proud to have worked for the Observer, and am glad for my editors, correspondents, and readers. Thank you. 

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Do female students feel safe on campus?

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Women share their perspectives

Women’s public safety has been a huge topic of concern around the United States, and college campuses have been a main concern. Safety of students should be the first priority of Northern Essex, second is education, but is that the case? About 50% of public schools in the country have armed officers present, and Northern Essex is not one of them. While stories such as Brock Turner have been so popular in the media, female students safety has been more of a concern.

When talking to different female Northern Essex students about how they feel about their own safety here on campus, there were many different opinions. Vanessa Muthee, a 19 year old Northern Essex student seemed to not worry too much about her safety being threatened on campus… “I feel that NECC is comfortable environment for me, I’ve been to colleges where that wasn’t the case but i’ve never felt unsafe here.” Muthee has never felt her safety was threatened on campus and that is what we hope every student feels like.

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I feel that NECC is comfortable environment for me, I’ve been to colleges where that wasn’t the case but i’ve never felt unsafe here.
– Vanessa Muthee

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I then spoke to Zoe Clark Hanson who although said she felt safe on campus she has dealt with an unnerving classmate… “He was always staring at girls trying to make them uncomfortable and making creepy comments.” As a student myself, this seems to be a common issue and I encourage you to speak up and report any unnerving incidents to the public safety department here at Northern Essex. The contact number for public safety in Haverhill is 978-556-3689, in Lawrence 978-665-5939, or Riverwalk 978-659-1299.

Lastly I spoke to Lexi Fontaine, Opinion Editor, who had  a lot to say on the topic… “As a female student I’ve never felt unsafe in any particular situation, however after I found out that there were only 2 security guards on NECC’s campus it made me question the safety of the school over all. A lot of college campuses where students live on them have their own police stations and complete own security system in place. I understand that since we are a community college and a commuter college that it is a different situation, but the safety and security of students should be the number one priority. For example we do have something similar to a ‘blue light’ system in the parking lot where if you ever feel unsafe walking to your car you can press the button to call the police, but these buttons are very poorly advertised. Many people don’t know we have them and could not tell you where they are which would not be helpful in an emergency situation outside. I think overall northern Essex could do a better job communicating with its students about public safety and our safety, and in general make students know that they are safe.” Although Fontaine has not had any eccounters that threatened her own safety, she still worries about the lack of security overall. She also stated that many students don’t know about the blue lights in the parking lot which is something all students should be educated about.

Public Safety should be Northern Essex first priority, female students safety is a huge concern in our country and should be something that is taken very seriously within this school. If you see or hear something, speak up and report the incident to the public safety department.