All posts by Observer Staff

Padova’s presidential project

Professor elaborates on his upcoming book

Northern Essex’ very own, Professor Richard Padova is publishing his thrd book in 13 years, and has recruited a handful of NECC students to help him write it.

Padova says ,“My book will be about men and women who have unsuccessfully sought the presidency of the United States.”

Katherine Hailson, 21, Liberal Arts: Writing student is one of the students who has volunteered to work on the book.

“I think what really interests me in the topic of Professor Padova’s next book is getting the chance to delve deeper into how presidential campaigns have been run in our nation,” she said.

Hailson expressed that she’s worked and volunteered for local campaigns and says, “there is always much more at stake when it comes to national politics.”

Hailson hopes to gain more knowledge about presidential campaigns as well as improve writing and researching skills.

She also states the importance of trying to get involved with campaigns, so that people are aware of who they are representing, “A simple conversation goes a long way,” she says.

Dean Sheldon, 21, Information Technology major, is also helping Professor Padova create his book.

Professor Rich Padova standing in front of a cardboard stand with newspaper clippings attached to it
Professor Rich Padova Courtesy Photo

Sheldon found himself interested in the project because he likes writing during his free time.

Sheldon found out about Padova’s project through the Observer and quickly acquainted himself with Padova’s previous work. Although Sheldon is more of a sci-fi and fantasy writer, he emphasized that he wouldn’t mind trying to write something with a different approach and “walking away with more resources on where to research.”

Sheldon clarified that he is not particularly fond of current politics saying, “I actually tend to isolate myself from it, especially nowadays. But when it comes to historical politics, that’s a different story. Seeing how people lean politically and behave during different time periods is a very interesting subject.”

Sheldon hopes to gain more insight into human psychology during the research of this project.

Padova says, “Usually the losing candidates are forgotten about and sometimes never heard from again. I believe that they deserve to be brought to light, if for no other reason than the fact that for many of them, they gave up months from their lives to put themselves under a microscope developing a platform, enunciating their issues and trying to convince people why they had the skills and abilities to lead the country.” He also says that he has an “eclectic mix of candidates” that he is currently reviewing for possible inclusion in the book. These candidates vary from men, women, Democrats, Republicans, third-party candidates, well-known candidates and many more. By conducting this research, Padova will enhance the knowledge of one of his many teaching specialties, presidential history, campaigns and elections. Padova is looking forward to his research and is looking to publish his book in 2020.

Donate blood and save a life

The American Red Cross will be holding a blood drive here at Northern Essex on  Wednesday, Nov.7.

The purpose of the blood drive is to help people of all ages, people who have had organ transplants, heart surgery, burn victims, and even people who suffer from cancer. Many other people benefit from this blood drive, people who battle with sickle cell disease or other chronic diseases. The blood drive is not only open to students but also to the public. In order to be eligible to participate as a blood donor you must be in good health, 16 years of age, you must weigh at least 110 lbs, and you have not donated blood in the last 56 days.

Coordinator of civic engagement  Janel D’Agata-Lynch encourages  everyone to be a part of the blood drive. She says “When people are in critical conditions, the only way to get blood is from other people”

¨We want as many people to donate.¨ Not everyone can donate blood because of some health limitations, but it is encouraged for students to help out even if its at the check in table.

¨We want to help in some shape or form.¨ Says D’ Agata-Lynch says.

A former nurse alumni Catherine Ramos says ¨I was never qualified to be a blood donor, but I highly encourage my friends to do it. It is vital to help those people in need, and a donation can save a life.”

Ramos wants student to realize that a simple act can help a person who is struggling with their health.

Luisamaria Cruz, currently enrolled in the dental assisting program here at NECC says, “I personally like it and was always interested in doing it, but I never did , because I was always curious about the requirements.”

Cruz admits that she would be willing to help out knowing that she could possibly save a life.

For more information and to find other blood drives near you visit  www.redcrossblood.org  or call 1-800-Red Crosss

Seasons beginning and ending

Volleyball season ended, Basketball has begun

NECC Knights Cross Country will be representing the college in the NJCAA National Championship. The last meet that they were in was the Northeast Junior College Invitational where the Men’s team finished third. They were led by Logan Foster (Atkinson, NH) who finished in 4th in the 8,000 meters. He and other teammates Willie Thomson (Beverly, MA), Andy Barrientos (Lawrence, MA), Jacob Navabi (Haverhill, MA) and Emil Rosario (Methuen, MA) will represent the Men’s side in the National Championship.

For the Women’s side of the team Katelyn Richardson (Wilmington, MA) who finished 11th in the meet. This will be the first trip for her to the nationals. Joining her will be Olivia Mullins (Plaistow, NH) who finished 6th in the last meet. She came in 6th in the 5k. This is the 2nd trip for her to the national championship where she finished 52nd.

Knights basketball team competed in the NHTI Edward Jones Tap-Off Festival where they lost both games, first to the host NHTI 95-93. Then to Central Maine Community College 96-81. In their first game against NHTI, Evan Hardy (Methuen, MA) led the team with 24 points off the bench going 8-11 at three pointers. For the 2nd game against Central Maine Community College Trey Sanford (Salem, NH) led the team with 17 points. It is still early for the team, last season the team went 17-3. There first game of the season is at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology on Tuesday, November 6. Their first home game is Thursday, November 8th against Quincy College. With a new season on the way let’s hope it will be a great season for the knights

Patriots keep winning

Patriots advance to 7-2 after beating Packers Sunday night

What many thought would be a difficult season for Tom Brady and the Patriots has turned around quickly. The Patriots lost two games in the early part of the season, but since then they have turned it around.

NECC student Jared Haynes said, “When will there be a season when Brady isn’t the GOAT?”

Jared Haynes said, “When will there be a season when Brady isn’t the GOAT?”

We all hear the broadcasters say “Tom Brady is 41, how is he still this good? Does the TB12 method actually work?” It’s no surprise that the Patriots are still winning. They have one of the best coaches the NFL has ever seen since Vince Lombardi.

Belichick has been in the coaching system since the 1970’s when he was with the Cleveland Browns.

He was taught well by former Patriots coach Bill Parcells in the Giants system. If you look at the coaching trees they have, Parcells and Belichick you will see that most of the coaches beside three (Andy Reid, Doug Pederson, Matt Nagy) have been part of Belichick and Parcells coaching tree. Belichick has been in the game of football since the 1970’s and he has adapted to the changes and various roles of players he has coached to make the Patriots become a powerhouse of the NFL.

It was the Sunday Night Football game on NBC where Tom Brady and the Patriots pulled out a win against the versatile offense of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. It was close in the first half.

Haynes said “Many believed this was going down to the wire. If the Pats scored the Packers would answer in a hurry.”

The Packers lost a close one last week after former Packers running back and kick-off returner Ty Montgomery failed to take a knee and ran the ball after the kick-off then fumbled to ruin Rodgers chances to beat the Rams of  Los Angeles.

At the time the Rams were undefeated, every team in the NFL wanted to give them their first loss of the season. After the first half it was a close one, then the what happened last week to the Packers happened again.

Running back Aaron Jones fumbled the ball on a hand-off. It was a costly fumble and the Patriots capitalized on that mistake. Patriots won the game 31-17. James White was a big performer finishing with two touchdowns.

Next week the Patriots take on the Tennessee Titans on the road. Their coach is under the Belichick coaching tree and former linebacker for the Patriots, Mike Vrabel.

What should be an easy win for the Patriots may be a close one since Vrabel is running the team.

He was the Defense Coordinator in Houston. In recent years Houston’s defense was always tough on New England’s offense.

This game against the Titans their defense needs to stop Brady from getting into rhythm early. That game is set for 1:00pm and many people will be watching.

Hopefully the Patriots can become 8-2 and it will help them make the playoffs once again.

Red Sox win World Series

Red Sox playoff record 11-3

 

The Boston Red Sox won the 2018 World Series against Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Sox won the four games they needed to clinch another championship title for the city of Boston. Rookie manager Alex Cora did his job, which is a phrase that is well used in the New England area. The team got the power hitting J.D. Martinez and also traded for the players that helped them win it all (Ian Kinsler and Steve Pearce). Though they traded and signed players they already had a dangerous roster to begin with (Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., David Price, Chris Sale). This roster was unbeatable, making the team go 119 through the regular season and the playoffs.

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“It wouldn’t be series win if the Red sox didnt make you nervous”
Kevin Brown

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The opponents this year were tough, each American League team they faced had over 100 wins. Their ALDS opponent were their rivals the New York Yankees. A best of five series where they only lost one game. Their series clinching out was something to celebrate for, former NECC student Kevin Brown said, “It wouldn’t be a series win if the Red Sox didn’t make you nervous.” The final out came after first baseman Steve Pearce had to dive just to make the catch after the throw from third baseman Eduardo Nunez was going into the dirt. The play had to go into review. After the umpires talked it out with the MLB headquarters the runner was ruled out and Boston knocked-out their rivals.

They headed into the ALCS against the heavy hitting Houston Astros who were the 2017 MLB World Series Champions. The series was much tougher than the one the Sox played against the Yankees. The Astros had a terrific infield and their pitching staff was favorable to win the series for them. They had the likely American League Cy Young winner Justin Verlander. This was another series that Boston only lost one game and it was at home. This proved that the Red Sox were a better road team. They closed out the series in Houston to a flyball in Left field to Andrew Benintendi. This was the first time that the Red Sox have made it to the World Series since 2013 where they faced and beat the St. Louis Cardinals.

The 2018 MLB World Series was set, Dodgers vs. Red Sox. The first game was set in Boston since the American League won the All-Star game giving the American League home field advantage.

The series featured two historic teams battling head-to-head where only one team can be crowned a winner.

From the last two series that Boston played they only lost one game and that was the same situation against Los Angeles. This time they lost on the road rather than losing at home. That was an 18 inning game and it was a walk-off homerun to first baseman Max Muncy. After that loss Boston won the next two to be crowned champions of the MLB.

Since 2004 where Boston broke the 86-year-old curse, they have won three more times (2007,2013, and 2018).

This win helped the debate making Boston the city of champions of all four major sports. At the beginning of the year everyone knew that the Red Sox had a great team that would make the playoffs but would have a tough time to advance to the World Series. Brown said, “I hate to say that I doubted them in spring training. I knew they had a great team, but we had a new manager.” Alex Cora took the reins of this team and led them to win another Commissioner’s trophy for the franchise and the city of Boston. We all hope to see what they can do next year. Fans are still celebrating this win and they should be for a long time.

NECC community gathers for 5k and fun

On Saturday, Oct.13 students, alumni and community members of the Merrimack Valley area alike gathered for Northern Essex Community College’s second annual homecoming. There were activities, pie eating contests, and the Campus Classic 5K Race, bringing out a large crowd despite the rain.

Features included food from Lucky’s cafe, beer provided by Newburyport Brewery and DJ artist Andy Schachat.

Participants of all ages for the campus classic 5k started checking in at 8:30 a.m. but didn’t start running until 10 a.m. The Classic 5k has become a huge hit throughout the years and there are more participants each year.

Freshman and runner Sophia Duphily did not let the rain stop her from participating.

“I have been running since I was about 4 or 5 years old,” she said, adding that she enjoys running because “it’s a great way to come out to different events like this to get to connect with your community.”

Kiley Broadhurst, who is currently studying communication, started running this past

Summer. She said she has wanted to do a 5k before and thought that participating in NECC’s classic 5k would a perfect opportunity to start. “

I’ve been considering doing a 5k for a while and it supports the school system,” said Broadhurst.

Due to the rain and cold, there were some hard points in the race Broadhurst had to overcome but was able to by going at her own pace and with the community cheering her on.

Coordinator of Orientation and Student Involvement in the Student Life Office Ariel Chicklis knows that “lots of work” goes into making an event like Homecoming happen at Northern Essex.

“We have a Homecoming committee with different people around the campus and they all have different tasks that they need to do to make something like this a success,” Chicklis said.

Some of the activities that the committee helped put together included a pumpkin painting table, make your own slime, and a caricature artist on hand.

“The thought is that we want students to feel sort of a sense of nostalgia once they graduate and that they want to come back for alumni weekend,” Chicklis said.

Some alumni at the event included Cheryl Goodwin, class of 1982 (who now works for President Lane Glenn) and Joe Ryan, class of 1977.

Both have seen the campus and community at Northern Essex grow and change, but being a part of the second ever Homecoming has both feeling overjoyed, with Goodwin saying “I am elated… the Homecoming  a  is a wonderful celebration to bring together faculty, staff, students and alumni like myself to bring them back on campus to reconnect.”

Ryan, who has previously taught classes as an adjunct staff member says “I feel honored, I’m a proud alumni of this great institution.”

Ryan continued by saying “I’m very very proud of Northern Essex. I’m proud to say that I’m a product of community college education.”

Homecoming is a new tradition at Northern Essex that many hope to see continue for years to come.

The Campus Classic used to be held on the first Saturday of May but was recently changed to the fall to accommodate with the Homecoming and bring in the fall season. Although the Homecoming is free the campus classic 5k is a fundraiser and all the proceeds support NECC scholarships and academic programs said, Sarah Comiskey, a communications specialist at NECC, served as a volunteer coordinator for this particular event

Everyone present who was involved with putting together Homecoming was pleased to see participants stay and enjoy the festivities they had to offer.

Although this year it was a cold and rainy day it didn’t affect the community, everyone still

enjoyed the actives that were going on, even though they were moved to the gym.

Victoria Gladstone a criminal justice major did not participate in the Campus Classic but did attend Homecoming.

Gladstone partook in the games that were provided such as ladder ball and corn hole.

She said she had noticed that the rain affected this year but that she enjoyed the day.

“I would recommend this to a friend even if they weren’t part of NECC,” she said.

The 5k and homecoming bring attention to show off the school, students faculty

and what everyday life is like at NECC.

group of runners outside running in the rain

Midterm musings

The midterm elections are fast approaching, and candidates, celebrities and businesses alike are taking part in a nationwide push to energize the youth to become politically involved in the ballot box.

Though, in the turbulent social and political environment, perhaps more than ever, the young vote is disheartened, disgusted or disinterested in politics at all levels.

From a mass media so consumed with partisan trash talk and outrage mongering, to politicians turning to literal name-calling and twitter duels between world leaders, the political process can seem like a joke that isn’t funny anymore.

There is very little pertaining to government or politics that has not been so consumed and divided by party and ideological loyalties as to become unrecognizable.  But the foundation, the dispersing of power to the citizenry is the essential component of the American Experiment, and the Enlightenment values which inspired it.

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The Constitutional Republic inverted the system. No longer was the law subject to the whim of the ruler, the leadership was to be constrained by the tenets of the law.

Brennan Cooney

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The American system of government was, in its time, a radical new path of statehood. Birthed in the age of Empires, Kingdoms, and Principalities, The Constitutional Republic inverted the system. No longer was the law subject to the whim of the ruler, the leadership was to be constrained by the tenets of the law. A document, living and able to evolve as society did, to progress alongside its people, written with the expressed and clear intent of protecting the inalienable rights of the Citizen.

But, the Constitution does not rule in a vacuum, and there are many legitimate criticisms of our political process, and it is worth exploring and weighing these concerns to determine the worth of political engagement.

Some would consider abstaining from the vote as a form of civil disobedience.

To refuse to engage with a system which is bloated and corrupt beyond measure. There is value in civil disobedience and certainly a valid reason to disengage from party politics in particular.

Although, the greatest merit of the Constitutional Republic is the sovereignty vested in the individual. To actively avoid the vote, even for political cause, is to voluntarily submit to the will of those who remain active.

Still more simply do not vote because it is not important to them. Policy, laws, taxes, it’s enough to put someone to sleep, once the talking heads on TV stop yelling at each other. Especially for someone harried by responsibilities, be they work, school, or family obligation. It is difficult to make someone see the value of something they’ve had since birth. The vote might seem pointless, and unimportant.

To this I can only say, it was important to the suffragettes. It was important enough to them to be arrested, and undergo hunger strikes and other acts of disobedience to make their voices heard.   It was important to the Civil Rights movement, who endured persecution and violence and decades of supression to achieve the vote. It was important to the French people, so much as to overthrow a centuries-old dynasty and rewrite their entire society from the ground up. Representation in government was important enough to our national forefathers, that they, farmers and dock workers, smiths and tanners, launched an insurrection against the most powerful military in the western world and enlisted foreign allies to break free of the yoke of Monarchy.

This is a political article, but there is no concern for who you decide to vote for, or why. The question I would leave you with is simply,

Would you care about your vote if someone ripped it away from you? If you don’t vote, they don’t have to.

NECC’s health services

Does Northern Essex have adequate health services?

On a Friday morning of September 2016, then 19-year-old student Haley Abernathy was stepping off of a curb on NECC’s campus when she rolled her ankle and felt immediate pain. Abernathy had fractured her foot, and near by students called campus security. Abernathy quickly learned that NECC does not have an on staff nurse, and when the campus security guard came, she said they claimed it was a sprain, but she knew it was more than that. There wasn’t much they could do besides call an ambulance. Abernathy is aware that for a fractured foot a nurse would also not be able to do much in that situation, but she stated “campus security guards are not nurses, and having a nurse on site would have made the experience more comfortable and less traumatizing”.

Karen Hruska is Northern Essex’s Director of Counseling and Psychological Resources and according to her, having a nurse is costly, and data shows that most students on community college campuses were not utilizing their on site nurses, and preferred Minute-Clinics that accepted personal insurance over a campus nurse. Abernathy recommends having the nursing or EMT students intern on campus for health services but it is unclear how that would be implemented, and unpredictable how many students would utilize the service. Northern Essex does offer other Counseling services and community health services to its students that can easily be accessed.

Northern Essex offers free counseling service’s to any NECC student, the counseling is confidential and you do not need a referral. The type of counseling is what Hruska described as “brief short-term therapy”, but they can get referrals for outpatient therapists as well. Awareness for counseling services could always be higher as Hruska says, “people don’t listen until they need it”. To spread awareness of NECC’s Counseling Service’s they do classroom outreach presentations where they discuss things such as coping skills, anxiety and depression in students.

There are also many health services in the community that students can access as well. Janel D’Agata-Lynch, Coordinator of Civic Engagement, Service Learning and Community Resources works with students to help them find things like referrals for medical services, other places they can go that will accept their insurance etc. D’Agata-Lynch also works on bringing more community resources to campus as well, such as the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, which is funded to help enroll people in Mass Health. She hopes to bring them on both campuses once a month. There was also a resource and service fair that came to the Haverhill Campus Thursday October 11 that invited non-profits to advertise their services as well as their volunteer opportunities, and on Monday October 15th on the Lawrence campus there was a Health fair hosted by Health professionals. D’Agata-Lynch feels that there’s “always room for improvement, however I feel we’re very lucky because there’s a lot of good health resources in this area that students can access”. To access other resources in the community you can always visit The NECC website, or call the 211 hotline for resource referral which is available 24 hours.

Best buddies coming to NECC

There will be an information session about Best Buddies held on Tuesday October 30 from 12:30 till 1:30 in B-Building room 303 on the Haverhill Campus. Best Buddies is a non-profit organization that brings opportunities to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). According to their website, they are “the largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical, and economic isolation of 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities”. A participant with IDD is paired up with a student who shares the same interests and lives nearby. There are at least three contacts between the participant and their buddy. This could be over the phone or in person. When the participant and buddy meet up, they can engage in activities like going bowling or going to a sports game. Best Buddies staff members will monitor the progress and how the buddies interact together.

        A small group is organizing Best Buddies this semester at Northern Essex and are hoping to have it up and running by the Spring Semester. NECC will be the first community college in Massachusetts to start a Best Buddies chapter. Lucas Unger, an Electrical Engineer major, said that Best Buddies will bring people together and show people how to help in the community. He said that being a part of the program in high school was enjoyable and gave people a reason to be involved in the school and community. Deborah Regan, the Associate Director of the Learning Accommodations Center, said that the relationships built goes beyond the classroom. “People get caught up in differences,” she said. People are too focused on how others are different, but “differences enrich us,” Regan added.

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“the largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical, and economic isolation of 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities”
Best Buddies Website

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        “It’s not a chore to be in the Best Buddies program. It’s fun and it’s a great friendship that forms. It makes you feel like you’re helping someone out,” Unger said. Noreen Fantasia, Program Assistant in the Career Center, said that her son was in the Best Buddies program in high school. She said that it helped enrich his life and she saw it help both her son’s and his buddy’s confidence. It helps people realize that they can hang out with anyone and it’s not limited to a small group of people. Best Buddies will help the community grow closer together and It can help people from different backgrounds.

        According to their website, Best Buddies has impacted over 1,200,000 people in 50 states, 48 countries, and six continents. There are over 27,000 college students participating in the program around the world. Now, students at Northern Essex can expand that number.